Professional women’s soccer is coming back to Boston. The NWSL expansion team will begin play in 2026, the league and new team’s ownership group, Boston Unity Soccer Partners, formally announced Tuesday.
Boston rejoining NWSL as a market is no surprise. Fans have been waiting for confirmation as the Wall Street Journal initially reported on the move at the beginning of 2023 as part of an overall expansion push that also includes Bay FC in the San Francisco Bay area and the return of the Utah Royals. Boston will be the league’s 15th team.
“I’m excited to expand the NWSL’s footprint and continue its transformative growth in our return to Boston, one of the world’s most iconic sports cities,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “We are very proud to welcome Boston Unity Soccer Partners to our ownership group. They bring an impressive roster of business leaders committed to continuing Boston’s legacy of sports excellence and delivering a successful team to a very passionate fanbase.”
Unity’s ownership group, which has an “all-female core,” includes Jennifer Epstein, whose family co-owns the Boston Celtics, angel investor Stephanie Connaughton, Women’s Foundation of Boston co-founder and former Putnam Investments portfolio manager Ami…
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://womenssportsnow.com/nwsl-to-add-boston-expansion-team-in-2026-how-it-lines-up-with-leagues-growth-vision/&media=https://womenssportsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/USATSI_19313603_168392399_lowres-scaled.jpg&description=“Our goal is to build a championship-caliber franchise that the city can be proud of," the ownership group said.){kind=link}