National Women's Soccer League expansion

The Houston Dash became the first expansion team in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and played its first season in 2014.

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.[1]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference cbs-16-teams was invoked but never defined (see the help page).