Denver Getting a New Team

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Big news for soccer fans! Denver is getting its very own National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team, set to start playing in 2026. This will be the city’s first-ever top-level professional women’s team, and there’s a chance they’ll have their very own stadium too!

The team’s majority owner, Robert Cohen, believes women’s sports in Denver deserve more recognition. “Denver is an amazing sports city, but we’re actually the biggest city in the U.S. without a professional women’s team. It’s time to change that,” he said.

Right now, the NWSL has 14 teams, with Denver and Boston joining in 2026 to make it 16. But here’s something cool: only one team in the whole league—Kansas City Current—has a stadium built just for women’s soccer. Their stadium, called CPKC Stadium, opened in 2024 and holds 11,500 fans.

So, will Denver’s new team get its own stadium too? Cohen isn’t giving away all the details yet, but he says the plan is to build first-class facilities so that “every player wants to play here, every coach wants to coach here, and every executive wants to work here.”

Cohen has a lot of experience in the sports world. He started the Denver Sports Commission, which helps bring major sporting events to the city. He was also part of the team that helped bid for the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics!

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman is excited about Denver’s addition to the league. “Denver is a perfect match for women’s pro soccer,” she said. “The plans for a new stadium and training facility show a real commitment to making this team great for players and fans.”

The ownership group behind the new Denver team paid a record-breaking $110 million to join the league. Other investors include Mellody Hobson (a successful businesswoman) and Jason Wright (former president of the Washington Commanders).

Hobson is passionate about growing women’s sports. “Women’s sports are in a huge moment of change. We’re seeing history happen right now, and we want to help push it forward,” she said.

The NWSL has been growing fast! In 2024, Utah Royals and Bay FC joined the league, and Boston’s new team paid $53 million to become part of the action.

And there’s more expansion coming! Other cities like Cleveland and Cincinnati are hoping to get a team next. The NWSL wants to keep growing but also wants to do it in a smart way.

“We want to be the best league in the world,” Berman said. “That means making sure every decision we make helps women’s soccer reach new heights.”

So, get ready, Denver! Women’s soccer is about to take over your city—and maybe with a brand-new stadium, too!