Minnesota Aurora FC has been plenty successful, both on and off the field, in its short history. Unfortunately, when it comes to making a step up from the “pre-professional” USL W League to the NWSL, the country’s top women’s professional league, that success takes a back seat to what really makes the soccer world go round: money.
Minnesota Aurora FC pull out of the running for 2026 NWSL expansion franchise
For now, the Aurora remain a pre-professional women’s soccer franchise keeping all options open for the future.
By Jon Marthaler
August 15, 2024 at 10:55PM
Thursday, the club sent a letter to its community owners, acknowledging that Aurora are dropping out of the bid process for the NWSL’s 16th franchise. Whoever that team is, debuting alongside Boston in 2026, it won’t be the Aurora.
“The process is extremely complex, and while we had a strong investment group, circumstances out of our control kept us from pursuing the bid at this time,” the team’s statement said. “There remains strong interest by investors to support Minnesota Aurora going pro.”
It’s a setback for women’s soccer in Minnesota, a movement that seemed destined to end with an NWSL franchise on the field in the Twin Cities. The Aurora have drawn widespread attention beyond anyone’s expectations, regularly filling the bleachers at TCO Stadium in Eagan for a non-professional soccer team. And at least in the regular season, the team has rewarded those fans; after three years, the Aurora still haven’t lost a regular-season match, though they’ve proven more fallible in the national playoffs.
“We’re coming at this from such a different angle,” said Andrea Yoch, the Aurora’s co-founder. “The fact that the NWSL has been very open to us and our community ownership model is really saying something about what we’ve built. We want everybody to really be proud that, you know, three years in we were being seriously considered to go pro, and the economics just didn’t work.”
The next step for Aurora is somewhat unclear. For the moment, the club is regrouping and assessing its options. The USL is launching a women’s professional league of its own this fall, which could potentially give Minnesota another option for the future — but not for right now.
Given the fast growth and exploding franchise values in the NWSL, it seems unlikely the league will stop at just 16 teams. Minnesota could have a future in the big leagues — just not in 2026.
about the writer
Jon Marthaler
U.S. women's national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, known for her unflappable demeanor in the face of pressure, is retiring from international soccer.
