Atlanta to get NWSL expansion franchise backed by Arthur Blank for record $165 million fee, per report

The NWSL will reportedly award Atlanta with an expansion team for a league-record-fee of $165 million in a bid fronted by AMB Sports and Entertainment, the owners of MLS’ Atlanta United and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, according to The Athletic,

A formal announcement is expected on Tuesday, which would make the Atlanta team the 17th franchise in the NWSL. The club would begin play sometime after the 2026 season and are set to stage their home matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of both United and the Falcons, with a soccer capacity of 42,500. Further specifics about the team’s inaugural season are not public information at this time.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium has an artificial turf surface and would not be the first NWSL venue not to have a natural grass field – the Portland Thorns’ and Seattle Reign’s respective homes, Providence Park and Lumen Field, have artificial turf and the Boston Legacy will play their first season at Gillette Stadium. The Atlanta team, though, would be the first expansion team to receive the green light from the NWSL despite a permanent plan to play on turf.

The $165 million entry continues a steady rise in expansion fees for the NWSL, who reportedly received $110 million in January from the group that owns the Denver Summit, who will join the league in 2026 alongside the Legacy. The Boston club and Bay FC, which began play in 2024, reportedly paid around $53 million each to join the NWSL.

Atlanta’s soccer history

Atlanta has emerged as a hub of American soccer in recent years, first with the introduction of Atlanta United in 2017 and now with the opening of the U.S. Soccer National Training Center next year in the suburb of Fayetteville. Much of the recent growth was fueled by Arthur M. Blank, the Home Depot co-founder who leads AMB Sports and Entertainment and made a $50 million contribution for the U.S. Soccer training center, which will bear his name.

The city’s professional soccer team, though, was a women’s team. The Atlanta Beat played in the Women’s United Soccer Association, the U.S.’ first professional women’s league, from 2001 to 2003, and then in Women’s Professional Soccer from 2010 to 2011.

The usual gathering place for soccer in Atlanta these days is at Mercedes Benz Stadium, the home of both MLS’ United and the NFL’s Falcons. The stadium has hosted both the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams on multiple occasions and most recently welcomed the USWNT in April 2024 for a 2-1 win over Japan in the SheBelieves Cup. The USWNT set their attendance record for a friendly on home soil that day, with 50,646 filling Mercedes Benz Arena to take in the victory.

Mercedes Benz Stadium will also host several games at next year’s World Cup including one of the semifinals.