In yet another win for women's sports, Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay, journalist and USC Annenberg dean, bought Angel City FC for a record price Wednesday.
The purchase makes the club the most valuable women's sports franchise in the world.
ACFC has been a model for how sports teams should be built, including ownership from several USWNT players, Billie Jean King, Candace Parker, Jennifer Garner, and more. The team is active in the Los Angeles community and draws in some of the largest crowds in the league.
With fresh ownership and a record-breaking valuation, the sky is the limit for ACFC and its future. Here is everything to know about the sale and the duo paying the tab.
MORE: Women's football attendance records
How much did Bob Iger and Willow Bay pay for Angel City FC?
Iger and Bay bought a controlling stake in ACFC at an enterprise value of $250 million, making it the most valuable women's sports team in the world. According to Front Office Sports, controlling owners in the league must purchase at least 35 percent of the club — this means that Iger and Bay actually put down at least $87.5 million for their stake in the team.
The duo will also invest an additional $50 million to support the club's future growth. Bay will assume a bigger role for ACFC, as well. She will serve on and have full control over the team's Board of Directors and represent ACFC to the league and its Board of Governors.
“Women’s sports is having a culture-defining moment,” Bay said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “Participation is on the rise, viewership is on the rise, and appreciation for the level of the skill that these athletes demonstrate also is on the rise. All of those things, we really believe, add up to the momentum that we know exists for this team.”
While the transaction still needs the approval of the NWSL, the deal is expected the close in the next 30-60 days. Iger and Bay take the place of Alexis Ohanian, Reddit cofounder and husband of Serena Williams, who was the club's founding controlling owner. He will still serve on the club's Board of Directors with the other founders, including actress Natalie Portman.
“We’ve followed the team as fans and friends since its inception,” Bay said. “We’ve attended games, we’ve brought our kids and granddaughters. ... We love what [the team] has brought to this community.”
Angel City FC stats
ACFC was founded in 2020 and played its first NWSL season in 2022. Despite finishing eighth in its inaugural year, the club made the playoffs in 2023 and lost in the quarterfinals to OL Reign (now Seattle Reign FC).
In 2023, ACFC earned the highest revenue of any women's team in the world, leading the league in attendance, sponsorship revenue, and total revenue. It also has the largest season ticket membership of all 12 teams that participated that year.
This year is shaping up to be ACFC's worst so far, as it currently sits in 11th at the Olympic break. Here's a look at the club's first three years in the NWSL:
| Year | Record (W-L-D) | Final rank |
| 2022 | 8-9-5 | 8th |
| 2023 | 8-7-7 | 5th |
| 2024* | 4-9-3 | 11th |
*As of July 16, 2024
MORE: Everything you need to know about the USWNT Olympic roster
Most valuable NWSL franchises
The sale to Iger and Bay went for more than double the previous NWSL record set by the $120 million sale of the San Diego Wave in March. ACFC is now by far the league's most valuable franchise in addition to being the most valuable women's franchise on the planet.
Here is a look at current estimated NWSL valuations, not including Bay FC and Utah Royals FC which are new additions for the 2024 season:
| Rank | Team | Value |
| 1 | Angel City FC | $250 million |
| 2 | San Diego Wave FC | $120 million |
| 3 | Kansas City Current | $75 million |
| 4 | Portland Thorns FC | $65 million |
| 5 | Chicago Red Stars | $60 million |
| 6 | Washington Spirit | $54 million |
| 7 | North Carolina Courage | $52 million |
| 8 | Houston Dash | $50 million |
| 9 | Seattle Reign FC* | $49 million |
| 10 | NY/NJ Gotham FC | $48 million |
| 11 | Racing Louisville FC | $47 million |
| 12 | Orlando Pride | $45 million |
*This valuation was determined before the Reign was sold for $58 million in March 2024. Its current valuation is not yet listed.
Bob Iger-Willow Bay relationship, explained
Iger and Bay married in 1995 in Bridgehampton, NY, a year after he divorced his previous wife, Kathleen Susan Iger. The pair became engaged the same year and rushed the wedding because Disney's acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC would leave little time for a honeymoon once the deal closed.
Iger has two daughters from his previous marriage, and he has two sons with Bay.
MORE: Alex Morgan Olympics roster snub, explained
Bob Iger net worth
In 2019, Forbes reported Iger's net worth at $690 million. He made $31.6 million as Disney's CEO in 2023 after returning from his stint as executive chairman of the board in from 2020 to 2021.
Iger was the company's CEO from 2005 to 2020 before stepping down to assume the executive chairman position. He returned as interim CEO in November 2022 after his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek, was fired. As of now, he will be with the company through 2026.
