Denver hotly tipped to land next NWSL expansion franchise

A group representing the city of Denver and the NWSL have entered negotiations geared toward being awarded an expansion franchise.

Everything points to the city of Denver being in pole position to land a NWSL team ahead of rivals Cleveland and Cincinnati.

The NWSL now consists of 14 teams in the recently completed 2024 season and will expand to 15 in 2026 when the new franchise in Boston joins for its inaugural season.

For Denver FC

The Colorado group currently in discussion with the league exploring the possibility of launching a new franchise is known as For Denver FC and is being led by Ben Hubbard, the co-founder and CEO of the supply-chain company and insurance provider Parsyl.

According to the business portal Sportico, the expansion fee is expected to be at least $105 million and could cost as much as $120 million, which would double the previous expansion price. Bay FC, which joined the NWSL in 2024, and Boston each agreed to a $53 million expansion fee.

Sportico considers Angel City FC currently the most valuable franchise in the league at an estimated $250 million, with the Houston Dash worth $74 million. The average NWSL team club value is currently $104 million.