The National Women’s Soccer League is in advanced discussions to add teams in Boston, Utah and the San Francisco Bay area, according to a Friday’s report in The Wall Street Journal.
The NWSL played last season with 12 teams after adding Los Angeles-based Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC in 2022.
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According to the report, the groups behind the Boston and San Francisco Bay Area franchises will each pay about $50 million in fees to the NWSL. Owners of the Utah team will pay between $2 million and $5 million since an agreement was reached last year.
“We remain engaged in our expansion process and are excited about our prospects,” a league spokesperson told ESPN. “When we have news to share, we will do so.”
San Francisco and Utah are scheduled to begin play in 2024, Boston at a later date, according to the report.
Multiple sources told ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf in June that Utah will be one of the new groups expected to join the league.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told ESPN that at least two teams will be added for the 2024 season and “over 30 investor groups” were interested in the league.
The league’s former Utah-based team, Utah Royals FC, entered the NWSL in late 2017. The Royals, led by former Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen, were sold after allegations of racism, sexism and a toxic work culture against Hansen. The team was transferred to Kansas City as the Kansas City Current.