Atlanta Awarded Women’s Pro Soccer Franchise

The past decade has witnessed Atlanta emerging as one of America’s true soccer hubs. The city with a Major League Soccer club (Atlanta United), an MLS Next Pro team (Atlanta United 2), and the soon-to-be-operating Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center and headquarters has also hosted the 2018 MLS Cup and 2018 MLS All-Star Game, the 2024 Copa America kickoff game showcasing Argentina and Lionel Messi, and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Of course, soccer’s crown jewel event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, will splash down in Atlanta next summer as Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be the host venue for eight games, including a semifinal match on July 15.

Last week, Atlanta further cemented its legacy as a vibrant soccer community when it was announced that the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) awarded an expansion franchise to the Arthur M. Blank-owned AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE) for a league record expansion fee of $165 million. The reported acquisition price is more than 50 percent higher than the $110 million expansion fee paid for Denver Summit FC last January.

Atlanta’s NWSL club, slated to begin play in 2028, will be the league’s 17th team following the inclusion of Boston and Denver in the most-recent series of expansion. The NWSL is widely regarded as the world’s marquee women’s professional soccer league.

The Atlanta franchise, which will reveal its name and brand identity at a later date, will play its home matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the current home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. Though the venue seats 71,000 for NFL games and can expand to 75,000, MBS will leverage its modification techniques to accommodate an expected capacity crowd of approximately 28,000 for the incoming NSWL team.

“We are thrilled to bring a National Women’s Soccer League franchise to Atlanta and Georgia and the passionate soccer fans here,” Blank said in his press release statement. “We look forward to working with the NWSL and other club owners to continue building the best women’s soccer league in the world and are committed to creating a world-class organization on and off the pitch. Our clear goal is to compete for championships beginning in 2028 and serve as a source of pride for fans in Atlanta, Georgia, and the league for decades to come. Our city and state have a deep passion for the game of soccer, and I know our fans will embrace this club as they have Atlanta United.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is similarly enthused about the upcoming launch of Atlanta’s NWSL team, particularly because of the development’s enormous potential to inspire women to pursue sports. Coincidentally, the U.S. is expected to be one of the host countries for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Atlanta being a viable candidate for one of the core sites.

“The arrival of women’s professional soccer is about creating opportunity for players, staffers, and fans,” stated Dickens. “And on a personal note, it makes me so happy to know that a generation of our daughters will now get to watch female athletes chase their dreams on the pitch. Progress has always been a part of Atlanta’s DNA. Whether it has been equity in opportunity, innovation in design, or unity through community, Atlanta is proud to show the world how inclusion can fuel growth.”

Our clear goal is to compete for championships beginning in 2028 and serve as a source of pride for fans in Atlanta, Georgia, and the league for decades to come. Our city and state have a deep passion for the game of soccer, and I know our fans will embrace this club as they have Atlanta United.

NWSL-exclusive training facilities have become a focus area for NWSL ownership groups; the expansion Atlanta franchise will follow suit with the expected development of a shiny new training center solely for the NWSL players and staff members. Additionally, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation will supply seed funding to initiate the NWSL Foundation, focused on advancing research and innovation in women’s sports, particularly as it relates to female athlete health and performance. Meanwhile, Blank and other AMBSE executives have already begun the search for leadership to spearhead daily operations for the expansion club.

“Arthur has been a consistent and passionate supporter of soccer at every level, and his investment to bring an expansion team here reinforces the unmistakable rising potential of women’s soccer,” shared U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, herself a former Atlanta Beat player and two-time Olympic gold medalist. (The Atlanta Beat were part of the two previous women’s soccer leagues in the U.S.: Women’s United Soccer Association and Women’s Professional Soccer.) “With world-class facilities, passionate fans, and a community that believes in the power of the game to unite and inspire, Atlanta will set a new standard for what’s possible in professional women’s soccer.”

An “Empower Her, Inspire All” event at The Interlock served as the backdrop to the official announcement of the NWSL coming to Atlanta. There, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman told a fired-up crowd that Atlanta’s bid checked every box for an expansion franchise: leadership, fan base, and facilities.

“You have some of the best ownership in professional sports in the Blank family. You have an incredible sports market that knows how to show up week in and week out for your teams. And you have top-notch facilities in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”

Added Blank, “It is my hope that this club will ignite something powerful in everyone who watches, especially young people, and light a spark that says if they can do it, so can I,” he said. “Our NWSL players will be role models who embody excellence, determination, and unshakable belief that anything is possible.”