National Women’s Soccer League Awards 16th Franchise to Denver

The National Women’s Soccer League has awarded Denver the league’s 16th franchise to begin play in the 2026 season.

The Denver franchise is finalizing plans for a purpose-built stadium  and a dedicated performance facility for female athletes. It becomes the first women’s professional sports team in a major national league to call the Mile High City home.

“As the NWSL continues its rapid growth, we knew it was critical to launch our 16th team in a city with a passionate sports culture and vibrant fan base, and Denver is the perfect match,” said Jessica Berman, NWSL commissioner. “The club’s plans for a purpose-built stadium and state-of-the-art training facility demonstrate a commitment to providing world-class environments for our players and fans alike. With this ownership group’s vision and dedication, we are confident that Denver NWSL will set new standards for excellence on and off the pitch, inspiring the next generation of players and supporters across the Rocky Mountain region.”

The Denver NWSL team is the second franchise awarded by the NWSL during this round of expansion, following Boston. The 2024 season saw the debut of expansion to the Bay Area and the return of the Utah Royals.

Rob Cohen, the chairman and chief executive officer of IMA Financial Group, will serve as controlling owner of the franchise. In 2001, Cohen founded the Denver Sports Commission to bring athletic competitions and events to Denver. The commission has helped bring events such as the All-Star Games of MLB, NBA, NHL, Women’s Final Four, and Hockey Frozen Four to the greater Denver area. Cohen most recently was on the Salt Lake City Bid committee, which was awarded the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“We are thrilled to bring professional women’s soccer to Colorado,” said Cohen. “We believe that bringing NWSL to Denver will be impactful and transformative. Our goal is to work closely with Denver’s diverse communities to build a club that will operate with integrity and excellence from day one. We look forward to collaborating with our community to make Denver NWSL an inclusive and special club that all of Colorado can rally behind.”

The ownership group includes Project Level — a subsidiary of Ariel Investments led by Chairwoman Mellody Hobson and former Washington Commanders President Jason Wright — that aims to level the playing field in women’s sports through investment and ownership.

In 2022, Hobson became one of the first Black owners in the National Football League as part of the Denver Broncos’ Walton-Penner Family ownership group. She is also a shareholder of the Chicago White Sox, the Women’s National Basketball Association and League One Volleyball.

FirstTracks Sports Ventures LLC also has an ownership stake in the Denver NWSL team. The company is led by siblings Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Moritz, as well as Neelima Joshi, Dhiren Jhaveri and Molly Coors.