The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA, 2001–2003) and Women's Professional Soccer (WPS, 2009–2011).

On May 10, 2023, league commissioner Jessica Berman announced the league's intent to expand further to 16 teams in 2026.

Summary , the NWSL consists of 12 teams with 12 separate ownership groups, with two teams approved for expansion in 2024. Of those 12 teams, seven are considered expansion teams either through net-new expansion (Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, Racing Louisville FC, Angel City FC, San Diego Wave FC) or the wholesale relocation of assets from a dissolved team (North Carolina Courage, from the Western New York Flash; Kansas City Current, from Utah Royals FC).

An eighth expansion team, Utah Royals FC, was formed in 2018 and dissolved in 2020. It is reconstituting as one of the two net-new expansion teams scheduled to begin play in 2024.

History Membership timeline

Formation and original eight teams

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was first announced on November 21, 2012, by United States Soccer Federation (USSF) president Sunil Gulati. At the time of the announcement, the only finalized details were the number and locations of the original teams; the league's name and logo had yet to be confirmed. Gulati revealed that the league would initially feature teams in the following areas: Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, Western New York, New Jersey, Portland, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Four of the original NWSL teams—Western New York Flash, Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and Sky Blue FC (New Jersey)—transitioned from the now-defunct Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league. The remaining four teams were new franchises: Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, Washington Spirit (originally founded as D.C. United Women of the USL W-League), and FC Kansas City.

Affiliation with men's clubs Many NWSL ownership groups are affiliated with existing men's soccer teams, often from domestic leagues like Major League Soccer (MLS) or the United Soccer Leagues (USL). Currently, five NWSL ownership groups also operate men's teams:

Houston Dash (MLS Houston Dynamo, since its founding as an expansion team in 2014) Orlando Pride (MLS Orlando City SC, since its founding as an expansion team in 2016) North Carolina Courage (USL North Carolina FC, since its founding as an expansion team via relocation of Western New York Flash in 2017) Racing Louisville FC (USL Louisville City FC, since its founding as an expansion team in 2019) Seattle Reign FC (MLS Seattle Sounders, since 2024) Additionally, three NWSL clubs have been historically affiliated with a United States Men's Club including:

FC Kansas City: Originally owned by the same group that operated the Missouri Comets (Major Arena Soccer League), the team was sold to independent ownership in January 2017. It folded later that year in November. Utah Royals FC: Established as a replacement for FC Kansas City, the Royals were owned by Dell Loy Hansen (owner of MLS club Real Salt Lake). In August 2020, a report by The Athletic detailing a history of alleged racist comments by Hansen prompted MLS and NWSL to open an investigation. On August 30th, 2020, Hansen entered into agreements to allow the respective leagues to facilitate the sales of the teams he owned. The Royals were replaced by an independent Kansas City expansion team, which acquired the Royals' assets. Portland Thorns FC: Affiliated with MLS team Portland Timbers from its founding in 2013 until 2023, when it was sold to a new independent ownership group.

Seattle Reign FC Evolution:

The team currently known as Seattle Reign FC was previously named OL Reign (2020–2023) under the ownership of OL Groupe, which also owned French Ligue 1 and Division 1 Féminine clubs under the Olympique Lyonnais brand.

Early expansion: 2013–2016 Initial expansion prospects The eight teams selected for the NWSL's inaugural season in 2013 were chosen from a pool of twelve interested ownership groups. Shortly after the league's launch, plans to expand to ten teams for the 2014 season emerged, with potential candidates including groups that were not part of the original eight. Confirmed failed bids included groups from the Los Angeles area, Hartford, Connecticut, and the Seattle Sounders Women. By the end of the 2014 NWSL season, none of these four ownership groups remained in the league's expansion plans.

Speculation initially centered on the Vancouver Whitecaps Women as a logical expansion candidate, particularly with the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup being held in Canada. However, the Whitecaps ended their women's program in December 2012, retaining only a U-18 academy team.

Connecticut Courage (2012–2014) An ownership group in Hartford, Connecticut sought entry into Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) for the 2012 season and NWSL for the inaugural 2013 season. The team was to be named "Carolina Courage," managed by Terry Foley, a former general manager of the WPS's Philadelphia Independence, and play at Dillion Stadium. The ownership group behind the Connecticut bid was never publicly revealed and the Courage failed to join the league in 2013 and were again declined for expansion in 2014.

Los Angeles (LA/Pali Blues, 2013) In Los Angeles, the first bid for an NWSL team came from a collaboration between the LA Strikers and Pali Blues, two of the most successful USL W-League teams. The Strikers had ties to MLS team Chivas USA, while the Pali Blues boasted two W-League titles and four playoff appearances in five seasons. Despite their strong track record and location in a major market, the bid was reportedly declined due to geographical concerns. The Pali Blues went on to win the 2013 W-League championship and, after merging with the LA Strikers, claimed the 2014 title as well. However, following Chivas USA's dissolution in 2014, the Pali Blues folded their W-League operations to focus on their men's USL Pro team.

FC Indiana (2013) FC Indiana was one of the strongest teams in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) and had previously competed in WPSL Elite alongside eventual NWSL teams Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and Western New York Flash. While there was no official confirmation, the team's website hinted that they were among the 12 original bids to join the NWSL.

Shek Borkowski, the team's owner and then-head coach of the Haitian Women's National Team, later proposed that the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) could subsidize an NWSL team in a manner similar to the financial support provided by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), Canada Soccer Association (CSA), and Mexican Football Federation (FMF).

In 2016, FC Indiana transitioned from the WPSL to United Women's Soccer for the league's sophomore season.

Houston Dash (2014)

During the inaugural NWSL season, there was confirmed interest in joining the league from the WPSL side Houston Aces. However, during the 2013 NWSL playoffs in August, the league announced that there would be no expansion for the 2014 season.

Despite this, interest from Major League Soccer (MLS) teams in establishing women's sides continued to grow during the 2013-2014 offseason. Houston Dynamo FC expressed their interest in fielding a women's team, stating that they were "exploring the opportunity" to join the NWSL in either 2014 or 2015. By December 2013, the Dynamo announced the creation of the Houston Dash, which was subsequently approved by the NWSL for the 2014 season, despite the league's earlier statement about postponing expansion.

Following the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, then-NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush outlined plans to expand the league to 14 teams by 2020.

Orlando Pride (2016) Following the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Orlando City SC emerged as a potential NWSL expansion candidate. On October 20, 2015, the league announced the addition of its 10th team, the Orlando Pride, set to begin play in the 2016 season. The team hired former U.S. Women's National Team coach Tom Sermanni as its head coach.

Shortly after the announcement, the Pride completed a notable trade with Portland Thorns FC to acquire U.S. national team forward Alex Morgan and Canadian midfielder Kaylyn Kyle in exchange for rights to U.S. national team defender Meghan Klingenberg (via the Houston Dash and Seattle Reign FC), the first overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft, an international roster spot for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and the rights to U.S. national team midfielder Lindsey Horan. The trade's completion reportedly influenced the decision to launch the team in 2016 rather than in a later season.

Growing pains: 2016–2018

Relocation of Western New York Flash to Cary, North Carolina (2017) In May 2016, Steve Malik, owner of the North American Soccer League (NASL) club Carolina RailHawks (later rebranded as North Carolina FC), began discussions with the NWSL about establishing a team. By December 2016, North Carolina FC officially announced its intention to acquire an NWSL franchise. Rather than creating an expansion team, Malik's organization acquired the franchise rights to the 2016 NWSL champions, the Western New York Flash.

Despite their success in 2016, the Flash struggled with attendance in previous seasons and faced challenges filling Rochester Rhinos Stadium. Additionally, the organization had drawn negative attention in 2016 when hosting a match against Seattle Reign FC at Frontier Field, a baseball pitch repurposed as a non-compliant, narrow field, resulting in a league fine and public apologies from ownership.

On January 9, 2017, the sale and relocation of the team to Cary, North Carolina, were announced. The team was rebranded as the North Carolina Courage, adopting the name and lioness crest of the original Carolina Courage from the defunct Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). The Sahlen family, who owned the Flash, conceded the Western New York market was not a suitable long-term fit for the NWSL.

Dissolution of FC Kansas City and Establishment of Utah Royals in Salt Lake City, Utah (2017) In September 2014, Real Salt Lake (RSL) owner Dell Loy Hansen expressed interest in expanding the club to include a professional women's team and amateur men's team, alongside their existing major league and amateur women's teams. The club's pursuit of an NWSL franchise was officially confirmed in November, with plans to share a new stadium with the new USL Pro team, Real Monarchs. However, early stadium agreements fell through, and the team eventually chose a new location in West Valley City by early March 2015. In 2016, the Real Salt Lake Women joined United Women's Soccer as the move to NWSL appeared less imminent and the Monarchs began USL play in 2017 at Zion Bank Stadium.

Meanwhile, FC Kansas City, two-time NWSL champions, faced operational challenges during the 2016–2017 offseason, including a scandal, search for new management and absentee ownership. These issues led to discussions about selling the team again. In October 2017, after failed negotiations with other groups, Hansen reversed his stance and agreed to purchase an NWSL franchise. Later that week, FC Kansas City's owner, Elam Baer, sold the team back to the NWSL to fold, and Hansen acquired the franchise rights, with all player contracts transferred to Salt Lake City. The new Salt Lake NWSL team, which did not replace the existing RSL Women team, began play at Rio Tinto Stadium. On December 1, 2017, the team was named Utah Royals FC.

Pause in expansion (2017–2019)