Atlanta was confirmed on Tuesday as the location for the 17th franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

The team will be owned by Arthur Blank’s AMB Sports and Entertainment, which also owns the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’ Atlanta United FC. Both teams play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the NWSL franchise will begin play in 2028.

“Atlanta is a city that embodies the energy, diversity, and ambition that define the next chapter of the NWSL,” league commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “From its passionate fan base to its deep sports culture, Atlanta has all the ingredients to become one of the league’s most dynamic markets.

“We are thrilled to partner with Arthur Blank and his exceptional team, whose commitment to building world-class organizations and community-driven impact aligns perfectly with our vision for the future of women’s soccer.”

As part of its commitment to the new team, Blank and AMBSE will also build a “first-class training ground” and hire a dedicated leadership staff to oversee the operations of the club.

“We are thrilled to bring a National Women’s Soccer League franchise to Atlanta and Georgia and the passionate soccer fans here,” Blank said. “We look forward to working with the NWSL and other club owners to continue building the best women’s soccer league in the world and are committed to creating a world-class organization on and off the pitch.

“Our clear goal is to compete for championships beginning in 2028 and serve as a source of pride for fans in Atlanta, Georgia and the league for decades to come. Our city and state have a deep passion for the game of soccer, and I know our fans will embrace this club as they have Atlanta United.”

The passion that built a movement now powers a new one, NWSL Atlanta 2028. pic.twitter.com/VBnl4trORy

— NWSL Atlanta 2028 (@NWSLAtlanta2028) November 11, 2025

According to Tuesday’s announcement, there will be modifications to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the NWSL club. Attendance will be capped at approximately 28,000.

In 2026, the NWSL will see its 15th and 16th teams begin play with the introduction of Boston Legacy FC and Denver. Berman has said several times this year that the NWSL can eventually be as big as the 32-team NFL, at least conceptually.

Atlanta and Blank had been part of the NWSL expansion conversation intermittently for nearly a decade, with many describing the market as a when-not-if situation once Blank is ready to join the league.

The city was previously home to women’s professional soccer when the Atlanta Beat played there in WUSA from 2001 to 2003 and in WPS in 2010 and 2011. The WPS version of the Beat built a stadium for the team in Kennesaw, Georgia, in collaboration with Kennesaw State University.

Atlanta is the seventh-largest TV media market in the U.S., per Nielsen data.

Atlanta United has been a major success for MLS since launching in 2017. The team won a championship the following year and has led MLS in attendance every season since launching (except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020), averaging over 40,000 fans per game.

Blank donated $50 million to help make Atlanta the new home of U.S. Soccer’s headquarters beginning next year, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be a featured host venue to eight games, including a semifinal, for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

“Atlanta has been a leader in shaping the future of soccer in this country, and the launch of a NWSL team is another incredible step forward,” U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said. “Arthur has been a consistent and passionate supporter of soccer at every level, and his investment to bring an expansion team here reinforces the unmistakable rising potential of women’s soccer.

“With world-class facilities, passionate fans, and a community that believes in the power of the game to unite and inspire, Atlanta will set a new standard for what’s possible in professional women’s soccer.”

Information from ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf and The Associated Press was used in this story.

Second-year Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards had a breakout game off the bench in the team’s 102-100 win on Tuesday night, but received a scolding from his mother.

Edwards scored 22 points on 8-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-6 from downtown, in 27 minutes. He added three rebounds, three assists and a steal to his stat line. He led the 76ers in scoring, just ahead of Tyrese Maxey’s 21 points. Andre Drummond added 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

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Sixers’ Justin Edwards goes up to shoot against Boston Celtics’ Derrick White on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Edwards was asked in the team’s postgame media availability what he yelled after his 3-pointer put the 76ers ahead with 4:43 left in the fourth quarter. He had to think about it, but his mother chimed in.

“I know what he said. He’s gonna get a beating,” Ebony Twiggs said, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

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Edwards was a bit red-faced.

“Well, she knows,” he said with a sheepish smile, adding that he said, “Let’s freaking go.”

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points. Boston failed to hold onto an eight-point lead with six minutes left to play.

The 76ers added Edwards last season as he went undrafted despite playing with the Kentucky Wildcats in college. He played 44 games for Philadelphia in the 2024-25 season, averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

In nine games this season, Edwards is averaging 6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards reacts after his three pointer against the Boston Celtics at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Nov. 11, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

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Philadelphia moved to 7-4 with the win. Boston fell to 5-7.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bill Belichick did his best to cool rumors of his alleged interest in the New York Giants’ head-coaching job as the North Carolina Tar Heels’ season heads into the final stretch.

The rumor mill linked Belichick’s name to the coaching vacancy almost immediately as the team dismissed Brian Daboll earlier this week. He was asked about the job during his media availability on Tuesday afternoon.

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He said his focus was on Wake Forest.

“I mean, I’ve been asked about it from time to time,” he told reporters. “Look, I’ve been down this road before. I’m focused on Wake Forest. That’s it. And that’s my commitment to this team. And next week it’ll be to our next opponent and so forth. But I’m here to do the best I can for this team.”

Belichick is considered to be one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time. He won six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as the defensive coordinator of the Giants under Bill Parcells.

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North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick smiles as he walks the sidelines before the Stanford game, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

NFL writer Gary Myers, the author of “Once a Giant” and “Brady vs. Belichick: The Dynasty Debate,” had previously suggested that Belichick would go to great lengths to get the Giants job.

“… He’d walk from Chapel Hill to East Rutherford for this job, I really believe that,” Myers said, via OutKick.

“I think [Belichick] desperately wants the 15 victories to pass [Don] Shula [as the winningest coach of all time] and he desperately wants to win a Super Bowl without [Tom] Brady.”

Still, the Giants should have plenty of suitors to choose from. The team has a highly touted quarterback in Jaxson Dart, a smashmouth running back in Cam Skattebo, a leading wide receiver in Malik Nabers and the NFL’s current sacks leader in Brian Burns.

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick greets a recruit on the sidelines before the Stanford game, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

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The ingredients are there for a winning roster. The right coach would need to put it all together.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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