News soccer fans in Atlanta have been waiting decades for is close to happening. According to Asli Pelit of The Athletic, Arthur Blank has struck a record-breaking deal to bring the next NWSL expansion franchise to the city of Atlanta.
Perhaps coincidentally, this will be the 17th club in NWSL, should the report come to fruition.
This would be the return of first division women’s soccer to the city since the Atlanta Beat played their last WPS match in 2011.
According to the report, Blank paid a record $165 million expansion fee to secure the deal. This is a more than 50% raise from the most previous fee of $110 million that Denver paid for their franchise earlier this year.
Little details about the team are actually known. Blank is said to have a press event scheduled for Tuesday to reveal and discuss the news. The team is said to have a targeted start date of no earlier than after the 2026 NWSL season.
One major piece of news that the report does divulge is that the team will play their matches in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
This along with Blank being the owner suggests that the NWSL team will likely have a close working relationship with Atlanta United.
As far as branding goes, those details will be announced at a later date.
Needless to say, this is huge and welcome news for soccer in Atlanta. The city has quickly transformed into one of the biggest hubs for the sport in North America. With Atlanta United’s amazing early success followed by U.S. Soccer choosing to build their headquarters here, bringing a top division women’s team to Atlanta was the obvious next step.
Rumors of a NWSL franchise coming to Atlanta have been swirling for years with no action. It now appears to finally be happening and not a moment too soon.
We will absolutely keep our eyes peeled for any and all news regarding this huge development and keep you updated.