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On Dec. 6, the WNBA held its first expansion draft since 2008, a moment that signified a lot more than 11 rotation players hearing their names called.
Money is flooding women’s sports like never before, and league expansion is one byproduct. Some men’s leagues have expressed interest in growing in the near future, but it’s the women who have announced nearly all upcoming expansion teams.
The year started with a full new women’s league. Backed by Dodgers owner Mark Walter, the PWHL began its inaugural season on Jan. 1 with six teams. The league several times set a record for the highest-attended women’s hockey game, and in September unveiled names and logos for each franchise.
In March, the NWSL welcomed Bay FC and the Utah Royals, the only expansion teams in a major U.S. league to debut in 2024. Bay FC, along with Boston’s upcoming NWSL team, holds the record for the highest expansion fee in league history with $53 million. The Royals played three seasons from 2018–2020 before they were sold and moved to Kansas City, where they became the Current. The new Utah Royals are a sister team with MLS’s Real Salt Lake, both under the ownership of David Blitzer and Ryan Smith. Smith also owns the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club.
Once 2025 hits, expansion will pick up across several leagues:
- The Golden State Valkyries will become the WNBA’s 13 franchise, the first of a series of expansions that commissioner Cathy Engelbert hopes will bring the league to 16 teams by 2028.
- MLS’s San Diego FC, the lone men’s team on this list, will also begin play next year. The club built a new facility it expected would cost $150 million and held its expansion draft earlier this month.
- The PWHL announced in October it will add two expansion teams likely ahead of the 2025–2026 season. The league has plenty of interested cities, including Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Quebec City, and because it’s centrally owned, it has full control over where its seventh and eighth teams land.
In 2026, women’s leagues will continue growing:
- The WNBA announced two teams in 2024 that it will welcome in 2026: the Toronto Tempo and a yet-to-be-named Portland team. From 2024 to 2026, the league will grow from 144 players to 180, helping to alleviate the talent bottleneck at the highest level of women’s basketball.
- Coming to the NWSL is Bos Nation FC, which said it’s considering a new name following a disastrous brand rollout in October. The team has also faced opposition over its chosen stadium, a 75-year-old facility in need of renovations. Locals already filed a lawsuit earlier this year, but outrage recently picked up when estimated costs roughly doubled, putting the city’s contribution at about $91 million. The plan still has support from the mayor.
Both the WNBA and NWSL have been open about their intentions to continue expansion beyond the already announced teams. More than a dozen cities have publicly pined for a WNBA franchise or been named by Engelbert as a contender for the remaining bid. Meanwhile, the NWSL has reportedly entered into exclusive negotiations with Denver to become its 16th team.
The major four men’s leagues are staggered in their thoughts on expansion. Despite speculation, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said this fall that the league is “not going through an expansion process.” Roger Goodell is more focused on expanding the NFL internationally than domestically at the moment. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he wants to have two expansion markets determined before he retires, which isn’t until 2029.
The NBA is the likeliest of the four to announce expansion plans sometime soon. Las Vegas has long been seen as the league’s unofficial 31st market as host of the Summer League and NBA Cup. The league has also teased longing Seattle SuperSonics fans with several preseason games in recent years. Commissioner Adam Silver has also pointed to Mexico City, which already has a G League team, as a legitimate option.
But for now, the expansion game is dominated by women’s leagues, and plenty of new franchises are coming down the pike as the calendar flips to 2025.
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