National Women's Soccer League Commissioner Jessica Berman announced that Cleveland, Cincinnati and Denver are the three finalists to host the league's 16th team, which will begin play in 2026. The final decision will be coming in a few weeks.
If Cleveland is picked, Cleveland Soccer Group, which launched the franchise bid, has a deal in place with Cleveland Metroparks to build a new stadium next to Progressive Field. The stadium is projected to cost $150 million and hold up to 12,000 fans.
"As we think about the geographic footprint of our country, we know that a 14-team league is not where we will end up," Berman said. ”We know that we need to be in more markets."
Competition between the cities is heating up, with CNBC reporting that Caitlin Clark joined the ownership group for Cincinnati’s bid.
The Cincinnati bid includes them playing right away at TQL Stadim, which hosts MLS FC Cincinnati. However, if Cleveland is chosen, the planned stadium would be the first in Ohio dedicated solely to a women’s pro sports team.
The Greater Cleveland Rapid Transit Authority wants to add a rapid station to serve the stadium, adding to the additional support structure the Cleveland bid has.
In August, NEO Trans Blog and Cleveland Magazine reported that 15 Cleveland-based businesswomen joined the bid as investors. Cleveland Soccer Group also announced that it has 13,000 pledges for season tickets.
“You want to be able to show that your community is going to support this team,” Cleveland Soccer Group Co-Founder Nolan Gallagher told Cleveland Magazine in May about showing local support in the bidding process. “[Teams] tout their city and they use very colorful, positive language, but [the NWSL is] still, like, ‘Go show that there’s actual demand for a women’s team in the marketplace.’"
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