NWSL eyes further expansion: Can be 'size of the NFL' - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — National Women's Soccer League commissioner Jessica Berman said on Friday that she thinks the league could grow to be the size of the NFL, which has 32 teams.

«We have very ambitious plans for expansion,» Berman said on stage at U.S. Soccer's SheBelieves Summit.

«Our board believes that we can be the size of the NFL, there is nothing that stands in the way of us doing that, other than having access to top talent. There's certainly not a problem with the supply, given the size of our country and the level of talent that exists, we just need to figure out how to develop them strategically and intentionally.»

Berman previously said in January that she saw «no reason» why the NWSL could not eventually become a 30-team league. There are currently 14 teams in the league, with teams from Boston and Denver set to begin play in 2026 to bring the league to 16 teams.

In a separate interview with ESPN on Friday, Berman said her vision is «a product of the size of our country and how many cities we believe could support a successful NWSL team.»

The league is not actively running an expansion process now but has «continued active conversations with interested groups,» she told ESPN. Berman said there is not currently a timeline for the next round of expansion beyond 16 teams.

Boston was approved to enter the league in 2023 for a $53 million expansion fee. Denver was officially announced in January for a $110 million expansion fee. They will be the first expansion teams to join the NWSL since the league's new collective bargaining agreement eliminated all drafts, including expansion drafts.

Several NWSL sources ranging from technical staff executives to team owners have expressed concerns to ESPN about the NWSL expanding