Women’s Football Alliance looking to expand league to Winnipeg, Canada

A women’s football league is looking to expand to Canada, with Winnipeg as a possible place for a team.

Women’s tackle football in Winnipeg - that’s the Women’s Football Alliance’s (WFA) goal as it tries to expand into Canada.

The WFA has existed since 2009 in the United States and there are now more than 60 teams in the three different divisions. The pro division features 12 teams that are based in major hubs like Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Los Angeles.

Now, the league is looking to expand north of the border. The WFA has partnered with Cosmos Sports and Entertainment to try and find owners to bring teams to major Canadian cities, including Winnipeg.

Cary Kaplan, the president of Cosmos, said there has been tremendous growth in women’s sports—ranging from the PWHL to the WNBA—and there isn’t a bigger sport than football, making it the perfect time to expand to Canada.

“We’re going to follow the lead of soccer, basketball and hockey to different extents and saying, ‘We think tackle football is an obvious next one here,’” said Kaplan.

“Winnipeg is an obvious market, you know, top attendance in the CFL. There’s a long history of football. There’s a history of women’s football. The question is, we need somebody, ideally from Manitoba, that steps up and says, ‘I think this is a great opportunity.’”

Kaplan said they hope to create an entire Canadian division with four to six teams.

The league is also looking to try and expand by as early as next season, which could potentially lead to a Canadian team competing in the WFA championship game in July 2026.

“We’re moving quickly because if you are an ownership group, you’d want as much lead time as possible to build your team and get a fan base and do all those kinds of things,” he said.

“Between CFL and NFL, you think of all the people engaged in tackle football—the time has come. There’s no logical reason that women’s football shouldn’t have the opportunity to grow.”

Prospective owners are told to contact Cosmos directly. Kaplan said they are looking for the “best first right fit.”

“We’re not going to wait to have a pool and wait for three months. If one excellent owner from Winnipeg comes forward, we’re going to move forward with that.”