Major League Soccer (MLS) awarded its 30e franchise, which will join the league in 2025, to a group from San Diego.
The team will be owned by billionaire Mohamed Mansour and the indigenous Sycuan tribe. This is the first time a First Nation has owned a professional soccer club.
Mansour, who lives in London, is also the majority shareholder of a Danish club.
The ownership group also includes San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado.
The team name and logo will be released later. It will play at San Diego State University’s Snapdragon Stadium, which is also home to the NWSL team Wave.
Adding a club in San Diego allows MLS to have two 15-team associations.
San Diego has a rich soccer tradition, dating back to the late 1970s. The Socckers of the NASL played there at the time. The city now counts on the Loyal, from the USL. The Wave averages more than 21,000 spectators per game this season, its second.
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