Source: Denver is poised to be next NWSL expansion city

DENVER — Do not scratch your eyes. You are really seeing the most extraordinary finish here. It almost mirrors the final day.

Almost.

Sure, those are the words from one of the most famous goal calls of all time in a famed English Championship playoff semifinal between Leicester City and Watford. It also describes the average Denver sports fan on Tuesday afternoon upon hearing that the city is poised to win the expansion bid to be named the 16th National Women’s Soccer League team, as Denver beat out out Cincinnati and Cleveland for the spot.

Cue the limbs for For Denver FC. And join in on the rallying cry with Jordan Angeli: Denver IS a soccer city.

Burgundy Wave can confirm the NWSL is in its final stages of adding Denver as its next expansion franchise, a source with knowledge of the bid confirmed on Tuesday, and the team will kickoff in 2026. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations are not yet complete.

Sportico and The Athletic first reported the news, adding that the expansion fee is expected to be in the range of $105-$120 million — doubling the previous high which BOS Nation (Boston) and Bay FC (The Bay Area) set in 2023 when those organizations paid $53 million, respectively.

Sportico added that no official papers have been signed, and the actual agreement could still take weeks, or months to hammer out. The Cleveland group announced it had not won the bid, while the Cincinnati group has stayed silent.

But Burgundy Wave can confirm this is happening. From the momentous launch in July 2023 ahead of the Women’s World Cup, to all of the community watch parties the group has thrown, to spreading the word across the state to build out a fan network from Durango to Denver and everywhere in between, it’s been a long time coming.

Stadium plans still muddied, despite positive news

Last month, For Denver FC told Sports Business Journal that it had plans to build its own soccer-specific stadium and training facility, but that it would initially start the 2026 season in a temporary venue. The group has not said where the stadium would be located.

Denver is the largest American city without a professional women’s sports team and has been without a team since the Colorado Xplosion, which played in the precursor to the WNBA, the American Basketball League from 1996-1998.

The ‘Who’s Who’ of For Denver FC

The group’s most well-recognized figure is Jordan Angeli, a former NWSL player from Lakewood who later became the Colorado Rapids’ Apple TV personality and a color commentator for the NWSL. Also in the group are Ben Hubbard, the CEO of insurer Parsyl and a former administration official in the Obama administration; Phos CEO Nicole Glaros; and Tom Dunmore, formerly of Major League Cricket and now VP of marketing for The Snow League. Dunmore has experience launching teams in the past with USL Championship side Indy Eleven.

The group’s lead investor is Rob Cohen, the CEO of IMA Financial Group, who co-led the city’s attempt to get a WNBA franchise in the league’s most recent round of expansion — an effort that ultimately was unsuccessful.

Don’t Stop Believing

What’s next? Well, it’s the waiting game until the full-time whistle sounds and the dreams become a reality when the announcement is made, which is expected to be in early 2025.

But Coloradans can dare to dream and don’t stop believing. There are 16 Coloradans in the NWSL today, three USWNT stars, a host of other former national team players.

There’s an entire ecosystem of insanely talented youth players who’ve been waiting to play for their hometown team, dream about scoring a game-winning goal as dramatic as Watford did all those years ago. They’ll get that chance at long last and after decades of pushing, hopefully, in a few short years. And it can’t get here soon enough.