The NWSL plans to add two more expansion teams in 2026, but where?

When commissioner Jessica Berman revealed the league’s plans, she did not offer any clue as to possible destinations. The two new teams in 2026 will bring the league total to 16, double the number of the inaugural season in 2013.

While the 2023 season features 12 teams, two are set to debut in 2024 in Utah and in the Bay Area. And the league reportedly has a deal in place for Boston for the 2026 round of expansion, as the Wall Street Journal reported in January.

So who are the other potential frontrunners for 2026? Just Women’s Sports takes a look, from Minnesota to Miami.

Minnesota

The Minnesota Aurora FC ownership group submitted a bid for expansion last time around and could be a contender once again. The USL W League club, founded in 2022, already has a large following – averaging 5,000 fans per game, which is better than some NWSL clubs – and in March announced a local television deal for home games.

It’s a community-owned club, however, and the lack of a significant financial backer stood in Aurora FC’s way in their first NWSL push. In a statement in December, club leaders acknowledged that “the timeline proved too short for us to secure the necessary investments to join a professional league for 2024.” Expansion fees for the Bay Area club set a record with a $53 million price tag, with the club planning a $125 million total investment. But that doesn’t mean Aurora FC couldn’t find those investments for a 2026 expansion.

One option could be Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf. Aurora FC already play their home games at the Vikings’ practice facility, TCO Stadium. But there is one problem: the Wilfs already own the Orlando Pride (and MLS’s Orlando City) and would not be able to own two NWSL teams. So to make this happen, the Vikings owners would have to either move the Pride to Minnesota or sell their stake in the Orlando clubs.

Of course, the Aurora have options outside of the Vikings. Another possibility would be to join forces with MLS club Minnesota United FC (as well as owner Bill McGuire). If Aurora FC can solve their funding issue, they would be a no-brainer addition to the NWSL.

Nashville

Home to MLS club Nashville SC and a brand-new stadium in GEODIS Park, Nashville could be a natural city for expansion as the facilities already exist. Already the city is home to the Nashville Rhythm, an amateur team that plays in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, and the NWSL could represent a natural evolution for the city.

“I think that it would be nice to see an NWSL team here,” U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski said in February. “I think that there will be a good stadium, a good environment and it’s very obvious that Nashville supports soccer.”

Certainly Nashville has proved it can draw a women’s soccer crowd. The USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup match at GEODIS Park in February drew a crowd of 25,471. While the USWNT traditionally draw great numbers anyway, it proved Nashville as a contender for NWSL expansion.

“We’ve been here [in Nashville] a couple of times and obviously playing in a soccer-specific stadium is the best-case scenario, having 25,000 [fans] like this where the crowd is energetic and it’s fun,” USWNT forward Alex Morgan said. “The pitch is perfect. It was actually a great game for us. So hopefully there are more NWSL teams and Nashville would be a great candidate for that.”

THANK YOU, NASHVILLE! pic.twitter.com/BrC52TdVhU

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 19, 2023

Philadelphia

The City of Brotherly Love hosted this year’s NWSL draft, and while no formal bids from Philadelphia materialized in the 2024 round of expansion bids, that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be in the future.

Philadelphia has previously hosted a professional women’s soccer team in the WPS, and while it does not have an NWSL club, that doesn’t mean it’s not a soccer city. In August 2019, the USWNT drew 49,504 fans at Lincoln Financial Field, making it the most-attended USWNT friendly game in history.

But there could be some issues, as Philadelphia is within the market of NJ/NY Gotham FC. Already Gotham has played some matches at Subaru Park, home of the MLS’s Philadelphia Union.

Atlanta

Like Philadelphia, Atlanta is no stranger to women’s professional soccer. Home to the Atlanta Beat in the days of the WPS, there have been talks of an NWSL expansion team for a long time. Back in 2019, then-Atlanta United FC president Darren Eales noted that while the MLS club hadn’t considered adding a women’s team, it seemed inevitable.

“From our perspective, we haven’t considered a women’s team – yet,” he said. “As we look to the future, given the continued growth of the women’s game and women’s soccer, it clearly is going to be on our radar. It probably will be sooner rather than later.”

While Eales is no longer president of the club, his words hold merit if Atlanta had a strong case in the 2024 expansion round, as reported last May. Atlanta United FC leaders did not make any public promises, simply stating that they had “several productive conversations with the league.” But if those conversations progress as the league prepares to expand once again, Atlanta could land a team.

Austin

Another MLS ownership group with interest in an NWSL team, as reported last year, Austin FC brought a brand new stadium to their city when they launched in 2021. The USWNT played in Austin in 2021 and again this April, and the city has garnered rave reviews from USWNT players.

“When we walked in, my first words were, ‘Is Austin getting a women’s team?’” defender Midge Purce said back in 2021. “I think it looks amazing. I think that it would raise the standard all across the league. If that’s the epitome of what we’re reaching for, I’m really fine with that.”

And Purce isn’t the only one.

“I think Austin would be a great fit for the NWSL,” USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher said in 2022 during a training camp in Austin. “I think the facilities here are great, they’ve done a phenomenal job with the resources that they have. I would love to see a women’s team here someday. I think they would be an ideal location.”

The city has yet to strike iron on an NWSL expansion bid. And while the city has merits, a progressive league like the NWSL also has to consider women’s rights and the safety of its players, so the Texas legislature could present an issue.

Giddy up, Austin 🤠 pic.twitter.com/IrFt11Prpy

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 3, 2023

Miami

Miami might sound like an out-of-the-box expansion option, but it could just be a matter of time before the NWSL makes its move to the Florida city.

DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale could provide a home for a women’s pro soccer team, as it’s also home to MLS club Inter Miami FC. Miami is also no stranger to women’s soccer matches, having hosted the USWNT last November. And Inter Miami owner David Beckham has made known in the past that he would be open to women’s professional soccer coming to the area.

“At the moment, we have a blank canvas so we want to create a community with our club. It’s not just being a MLS team, which obviously we are. We want to be a global team,” Beckham said when announcing the launch of Inter Miami. “But we want to have other outlets and other reaches. And if that means we have a women’s academy and a women’s team, then that’s what we want to aim for.

“We are starting from the ground up. We are building a club and a community, so there’s many different things this team can do.”

While Inter Miami’s launch as an expansion team was a bit of a hot mess, one would hope that a NWSL expansion club could learn from past mistakes and bring another vibrant community and city into the league.

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson had herself a weekend, adding 2025 All-WNBA First Team honors to her stacked resume mere hours before winning her third league title on Friday.

Joining the Las Vegas Aces star was fellow unanimous First Team selectee Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), as the pair logged their fourth and third straight years, respectively, on the list.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell also earned spots on the elite roster.

Headlining the 2025 Second Team is Seattle Storm forward and eight-time All-WNBA selectee Nneka Ogwumike alongside Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and a trio of standout guards: the Aces' Jackie Young, the New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu, and the Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers.

The 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year isn't the only All-WNBA debutant, with Gray, Mitchell, and Boston joining Bueckers in earning their first-ever league-wide nods.

All WNBA athletes, regardless of their position, are eligible for All-WNBA selection, and voting media members determine the honorary squads.

Players earn five points for each First Team vote and three for every Second Team tally, with the league's top five players via points snagging the First roster and the next five featuring as the Second squad.

Along with the All-WNBA titles, this year's honorees are also cashing in, with each member of the 2025 First Team snagging a $10,300 bonus while the Second Team players take home checks for $5,150 each.

Seattle Reign captain Lauren Barnes is calling it a career, as one of the last remaining original members of the NWSL announced plans to retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 season.

"From day one, Seattle has been home," the 13-year Reign alum said in Monday's club statement. "I've grown up here — as a player, a leader, and a person. I'm incredibly proud of what we've built and the culture we've created.... This chapter of my life has been a dream."

"Lu has been the heartbeat of this club since the very beginning," added Reign head coach Laura Harvey. "She has been the glue that has held us together through the ups and the downs. Everything about who we are, whether it's our standards, our values or our resilience, Lu has her fingerprints on it all."

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Barnes exits the pitch with more caps and minutes played than any other athlete in league history, with the standout defender also helping to anchor the Reign's backline to the tune of three NWSL Shields (2014, 2015, and 2022).

Those accolades, however, are the least of what makes Barnes exceptional, according to Seattle GM Lesle Gallimore.

"What makes Lu so rare isn't just her longevity or her records, it's her humanity," said Gallimore. "She's been a leader, a role model, and a constant source of strength for this club and the community. You simply don't see players spend their entire career in one city anymore, and that loyalty speaks volumes about who she is and what Seattle means to her."

The 36-year-old isn't the only league veteran hanging up her NWSL boots this year, with Kansas City Current forward Kristen Hamilton, Angel City defender Ali Riley, Orlando Pride midfielder Morgan Gautrat, and Barnes' Seattle teammate Veronica Latsko also set to retire.

World No. 3 Coco Gauff won her 11th career WTA title over the weekend, taking down fellow US star No. 5 Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 to become the 2025 Wuhan Open champion on Sunday.

With the victory, Gauff also is the first US player to lift the Wuhan Open trophy since Venus Williams in 2015.

Gauff now holds a perfect 9-0 record in hardcourt tournament finals, lifting her first WTA 1000 trophy of 2025 and claiming her second title of the year alongside her French Open victory in June — all without needing a single third set throughout her five-match run in Wuhan.

"Winning every match in straight sets, I don't know if I've done that before on a title run," the 21-year-old said afterwards. "I just felt like I was really proud of what I accomplished this week, regardless of the result today."

Despite the Sunday stumble, Pegula also saw significant success at the tournament, handing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka — who won the last three editions of the competition — her first-ever loss in Wuhan on Saturday.

Even more, Pegula clinched the three-set semifinal by snapping Sabalenka's dominant streak of winning 19 straight tiebreaks.

Overall, the weekend furthered a dominant 2025 WTA campaign for US tennis stars, with a US-based athlete featuring in every Grand Slam final this year.

US women also top the current WTA rankings, with Gauff and Pegula joined by No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and No. 7 Madison Keys in the sport's Top 10.

Additionally, those four contenders have all booked spots in the 2025 WTA Finals, guaranteeing that half of the eight-player field will hail from the States when the tennis season's finale kicks off next month.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are officially without their star Chloe Kitts, with the university announcing Monday that the forward will miss the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season after sustaining an ACL tear to her right knee.

"We hate this for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said in a team statement.

"While this isn't how I hoped my senior season would go, I'm trusting God's timing and purpose," Kitts wrote in a social media post on Monday. "I'll continue to lead, support, and push my team from the sidelines. We have big things ahead!"

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A starter for the the Gamecocks since the 2023/24 NCAA season, Kitts helped South Carolina bring home a national championship in 2024.

Last season, the then-junior earned an All-America honorable mention for a season in which she averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game — both career highs.

Kitts was particularly potent in the 2025 postseason, snagging the MVP title at both the SEC tournament and in South Carolina's NCAA regional en route to a national runner-up finish for the Gamecocks.

Though South Carolina is now gearing up for the 2025/26 NCAA season without their leader in the paint, the Gamecocks are perhaps uniquely capable of overcoming a big-name loss like Kitts, with the team boasting a full 10-player rotation and one of the deepest collegiate benches in recent years.

"[Kitts's] teammates are capable of stepping up, and I know that her competitive fire and tenacity will be felt from the sidelines as she pours what she can into them to ensure our team's success," said Staley.