San Diego is ‘expected to receive an expansion MLS team’ at a franchise fee of $500MILLION
San Diego is expected to receive an MLS expansion team for a $500 MILLION franchise fee with a goal of starting play by 2025
- California’s second-largest city is getting an MLS team, the 30th in the league
- California will have four teams in MLS when this move becomes official
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San Diego expects to receive the much-anticipated news in mid-May that it will receive an MLS expansion franchise, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The community has heard rumors of an MLS team coming to town for nearly 25 years, but it now seems poised to get a franchise.
The Union-Tribune said the future ownership group, led by an unidentified Egyptian billionaire and the local Sycuan tribe, is expected to submit a formal offer to the MLS board soon, with hopes of starting play as early as 2025 .
The expansion fee for the franchise could reach $500 million, according to the report. St. Louis City, the newest addition to the league, paid a $200,000 franchise fee, Forbes reported. According to ESPN, Charlotte FC’s ownership group paid a record $325 million.
Negotiations are underway between the group and San Diego State University for a lease for Snapdragon Stadium, which seats 35,000.
Negotiations are underway for San Diego to get an expansion team in Major League Soccer
A deal is being attempted to allow them to play at Snapdragon Stadium on the SDSU campus
Although it was built for the school’s football team, it was built to international football specifications.
“We’ve had very good discussions,” San Diego State Athletics Director John David Wicker told the newspaper, adding that the stadium is slated to host a variety of international games.
“Based on the football we have this summer, it shows that this venue is really built for great football, and getting MLS is the last real piece of the puzzle. We feel like going to the finish.’
The Union-Tribune said representatives from the league, university and future ownership group are expected to meet in San Diego this week.
“We continue to move forward with confidence and we are working together to close the deal,” said a joint statement from future majority investors, Mohamed Mansour of the Mansour Group and Sycuan Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez, to the newspaper.
The San Diego Wave currently plays with Snapdragon and has seen success in the NWSL
“While we are still in the due diligence process, we remain excited about the prospect of bringing Major League Soccer to San Diego, a city and community with such a rich cultural and sporting heritage.”
MLS has not commented on the prospects of placing a team – the 30th – in San Diego. Prospects are also high for a future MLS team in Las Vegas.
The San Diego Wave, which joined the National Women’s Soccer League in 2022, occasionally played games at Snapdragon Stadium.
On September 17, the game between the Wave and Angel City FC set a single game attendance record in the league at 32,000.