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Columbus gets the NWSL's 18th team to start play in 2028

Nbcwashington · · 321 words · By Anne M Peterson; The Associated Press
Sports Expansion Urban Development Public Funding
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/soccer/columbus-nwsl-18th-team-2028/40…

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Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 7
verified Verified By Reference 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“Columbus was awarded a National Women's Soccer League franchise on Tuesday that will begin play in 2028 and bring the league to 18 teams.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Google News, CBC Sports, ESPN) confirm Columbus was awarded the 18th NWSL franchise and will begin play in 2028.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 season is the 14th season for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_National_Women's_Soccer_L…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Arthur Haslam III (born March 9, 1954) is an American businessman and sports executive. He is the former chairman of the board of the Pilot Flying J truck stop chain. Haslam and his wife, Dee, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Haslam
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the USL Super League. The league comprises …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women's_Soccer_League
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“An ownership group led by the Haslam Sports Group paid an expansion fee of $205 million”
CORROBORATED
Google News and other reports specify the Haslam Sports Group led the ownership and paid a reported $205 million expansion fee.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A yet unnamed professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio, was announced as the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)'s 18th franchise on April 21, 2026, and will begin play in the 2028 season.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_NWSL_team
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Susan "Dee" Haslam (née Bagwell, born July 5, 1954) is an American businesswoman. She is the founder and executive producer of RIVR Media and CEO of the Haslam Sports Group. Dee is a co-owner of the C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Haslam
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Arthur Haslam III (born March 9, 1954) is an American businessman and sports executive. He is the former chairman of the board of the Pilot Flying J truck stop chain. Haslam and his wife, Dee, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Haslam
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The Columbus NWSL team will join the league in 2028 along with an expansion team in Atlanta”
CORROBORATED
CBC Sports and Goal.com both confirm that both Columbus and Atlanta are scheduled to join the league in 2028.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bay Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the San Francisco Bay Area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The team began play in the NWSL as an expansio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_FC
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the USL Super League. The league comprises …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women's_Soccer_League
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 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 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women's_Soccer_League…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Atlanta... was awarded the league's 17th franchise in November for a reported expansion fee of $165 million.”
CORROBORATED
The Athletic (via web search), Google News, and Wikipedia all confirm Atlanta was awarded the 17th franchise in November for a reported $165 million fee.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the county seat of Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County. With a population of 498,715 at the 2020 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A yet to be named women's professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia, was announced as the National Women's Soccer League's 17th franchise on November 11, 2025. The team will begin play in 202…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_NWSL_team
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the USL Super League. The league comprises …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women's_Soccer_League
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“In addition to the Crew, the Haslam Group also owns the NFL's Cleveland Browns and has a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and news sources confirm Haslam Sports Group owns the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew, and holds a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Crew
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Susan "Dee" Haslam (née Bagwell, born July 5, 1954) is an American businesswoman. She is the founder and executive producer of RIVR Media and CEO of the Haslam Sports Group. Dee is a co-owner of the C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Haslam
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Arthur Haslam III (born March 9, 1954) is an American businessman and sports executive. He is the former chairman of the board of the Pilot Flying J truck stop chain. Haslam and his wife, Dee, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Haslam
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The NWSL franchise's ownership group includes the insurance company Nationwide and Crew minority owners Pete and Christine Edwards.”
CORROBORATED
Yahoo Sports and another web source confirm that Nationwide and Pete and Christine Edwards are part of the ownership group.
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web search NEUTRAL — The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the USL Super League. The league comprises …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women's_Soccer_League
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web search NEUTRAL — The new NWSL team's ownership group consists of Crew and Cleveland Browns majority owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Nationwide, Crew minority-owner Dr. Pete Edwards and Haslam Sports Group managing partne…
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/learn-columbus-nwsl-team-o…
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web search NEUTRAL — The NWSL franchise's ownership group includes the insurance company Nationwide and Crew minority owners Pete and Christine Edwards. The new NWSL team will share ScottsMiracle-Gro Field with the Crew.
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/soccer/columbus-nw…
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“The new NWSL team will share ScottsMiracle-Gro Field with the Crew.”
CORROBORATED
Cleveland.com and another news source confirm the team will share ScottsMiracle-Gro Field with the Columbus Crew.
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web search NEUTRAL — A yet unnamed professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio, was announced as the National Women's Soccer League's 18th franchise on April 21, 2026, and will begin play in the 2028 season.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_NWSL_team
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web search NEUTRAL — The NWSL announced that Columbus will have a team, the league's 18th, and that it will begin play in 2028.Media assets courtesy of Haslam Sports Group.The new franchise will play at ScottsMiracle-Gro …
https://www.cleveland.com/sports/2026/04/nwsl-announces-its-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The team will play home games at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field — where the Columbus Crew play — but the training facility will be built at McCoy Park on the city’s southwest side, in the neighborhood with t…
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/05/04/ohio-will-get-a-na…
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“The owners also plan to build a new training facility for the NWSL team.”
CORROBORATED
City zoning plans and news reports confirm the proposal for a new training facility for the NWSL team.
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web search NEUTRAL — The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the USL Super League. The league comprises …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women's_Soccer_League
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web search NEUTRAL — Preliminary plans from the city’s Department of Building and Zoning show initial designs for the Haslam Sports Group’s proposed training facility, including five soccer fields and a large parking lot …
https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/five-fields-big-lot-fi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Crew owner exploring Columbus NWSL expansion. Cleveland Browns.A prospective ownership group from Columbus, Ohio, led by the Haslam family, is seriously exploring a National Women's Soccer League expa…
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48055169/columbus-cre…
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“The Haslam Group's bid included $50 million in public funds for the training facility, $25 million from the city and $25 million from the county.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific breakdown of public funds ($50 million total, $25m city, $25m county) for the training facility.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.