Peyton Manning to Invest in Denver NWSL Expansion Team

The Hall of Fame quarterback is adding soccer to his portfolio.

Peyton Manning watches Tennessee play in the NCAA men's tournament in 2025. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As it gets set to kick off in 2026, Denver's unnamed NWSL franchise has added a huge name to its ownership group.

Hall of Fame former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is investing in the team, it announced Tuesday morning.

“It’s a real honor to be part of something so meaningful to the Colorado community,” Manning said in a team video. “I’m proud to support the growth of women’s sports and excited to help build a club that our city and our state can rally behind.”

Denver will become the league's 16th team, and the first professional women's soccer team in the city since the Denver Diamonds of the Women's Premier Soccer League folded in 2009. The team will play in a soccer-specific stadium in the city's Baker neighborhood scheduled to open in 2028.

Manning, 49, played for the Broncos from 2012 to '15—winning an MVP award in 2013 and the Super Bowl in 2015.

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