2025-07-17, 10:37 PM - Word count:
I have very little insight into the SSL expansion process, but I’m excited to see what the new club managers announce for the upcoming expansion team brands nonetheless. So I’m going to rank my top 10 possible locations for a new expansion club. These are solely what I’d like to see, not what I expect to happen.
10) Tasmania, Australia
An often forgotten island off the southern coast of Australia, I think Tasmania could be a really fun location for a team. The brand has tons of possible options to build off of with both Tasmanian Tigers and Devils being something the brand could be built off of. I’d personally love to see a tan and black kit with shoulder stripes inspired by the Tasmanian Tiger, but I could also think of some fun branding ideas that are maybe a play on the super brand of the Red Devils of Manchester, UK. Maybe the Green Devils makes more sense for a lush island like Tasmania.
9) Luanda, Angola
The Miami Beach of Africa is another city that gets largely ignored despite its stature within the continent. I guess that’s because most people are unaware of its existence and the sporting history isn’t exactly what I’d call storied. Still, the kit colors could reflect the flag which has shades of Newell’s in Argentina with some added yellow, or even something more tropical with a deep ocean blue and yellow kits. I think this is extremely unlikely, but a city and brand I could surely get behind.
8) Prague, Czech Republic
This one snuck in primarily because I’m a huge fan of the city in real life. If you’re ever in Central/Eastern Europe I’d highly suggest taking a visit. The old town of the city is a truly cool place to explore and the people love their local teams (football, hockey, and Basketball). I could see brown kits with white accents looking good with this brand, as the view of old town across the river invokes these colors in my mind and it just seems to fit. Classic brown and white vibes kinda city. Something like St. Pauli’s comes to mind.
7) Transylvania, Romania
We all know this storied region of Vampire fame. Dracula vibes would probably need to be strong with this brand. Black and red kits reminiscent of Bayer Leverkusen might be a good place to start, but it’s perhaps too basic for this relatively unique location. Maybe something simpler along the lines of Rapid Magyar in terms of a badge, but grey or charcoal and white kits could evoke these colors dark forests of Transylvania in a less basic way. For those who prefer color, the yellow from the Romanian flag could pair well with either of the other two colors in the nation’s flag, or stand alone like it does with Villarreal in La Liga.
6) Kathmandu, Nepal
As a member of a southeast Asian club in the SSL, I have a soft spot for creative branding in little represented parts of the continent. I can’t think of a place better suited of recognition than the gateway to the Himalayas. The badge could be really impressive for this hypothetical club, as it could invoke the mountains, perhaps even the club name could pay homage to the region’s most prominent feature. I can see sky blue and white kits working brilliantly for this idea, representing the sky and clouds that the Himalayas provide unique immersion in.
5) Lisbon, Portugal
Portugal is a powerhouse in world football that is currently overlooked in our league. Lisbon is the center of it all with two of the three powerhouse clubs in Portuguese football being located there. I can’t think of a more majestic city to locate a new club. I could see the Portuguese national team maroon pairing well with Navy Blue similar to Barca or Portuguese club Chaves’s kits. There are so many ways you can go with the brand. Even if Lisbon is too basic for the new teams, the Azores or Madeira could be a wonderful exotic location that is still technically Portugal.
4) Bermuda
Sticking on the theme of random islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda is a place that I think would be a great location for a new club. A Three Lions style kits would look wonderful on this former trading port turned vacation island. While I don’t really know what teams could do to fold the culture in, it seems like they might be able to pull off a nautical theme that would be reminiscent of Corinthians in Brazil or the legendary Marine FC of FA Cup legend. I’d be excited to see what could be pulled off.
3) Dublin, Ireland
What would a simulated soccer league be without a Celtic/Shamrock Rovers ripoff club in its ranks? The colors will obviously be Kelly green and white and the badge would have to incorporate a shamrock or clover (whatever they’re really called). The Emerald Isle could be a great location for a minors team and could be great rivals for Inter London. While I’d expect some added flair, having a traditional branding would be a great addition to a league filled with a huge variety of creativity already.
2) Tierra del Fuego, Chile
I think this remote part of the world would be a great place to drop a fictional football club. While some of the names on this list are already pretty far out of the way, this one is just about as remote as locations get. Maybe Antarctica, Siberia, and Greenland have it beat. Clean black and white kits or even black, white, and yellow kits to reflect the area’s penguins would be a fun look. The colors go with anything, so why not I figure. Also, this would represent another South American nation with a great footballing culture and could naturally rival either União or CD Buenos Aires for South American supremacy. This is an idea that I would be extremely excited to see the new expansion managers to take a shot at.
1) Panama City, Panama
In my opinion, this is the best location for an expansion club. I don’t know many people who have been to this city, but I ended up here by accident once and absolutely loved it. I can’t say any city ever caught me so off guard in my life, but Panama City way it. Beautiful modern city surrounded by jungle and beaches. Natural beauty meets modern city in a way that very few cities I’ve ever been to can replicate. Like San Francisco or Rio, but if they were safe and clean with the rest of the nation readily accessible. I think the branding could go so many different ways with Panama City, but personally I would lean into the ocean theme like Pescara Calcio in Italy. Navy blue and tan kits like Pumas in Mexico could be a great fit for the color scheme of the kits as well. While I highly doubt this is where we end up seeing a club, I wanted to draw attention to this wonderful city, and if I were calling the shots, my team would be in Panama City.
10) Tasmania, Australia
An often forgotten island off the southern coast of Australia, I think Tasmania could be a really fun location for a team. The brand has tons of possible options to build off of with both Tasmanian Tigers and Devils being something the brand could be built off of. I’d personally love to see a tan and black kit with shoulder stripes inspired by the Tasmanian Tiger, but I could also think of some fun branding ideas that are maybe a play on the super brand of the Red Devils of Manchester, UK. Maybe the Green Devils makes more sense for a lush island like Tasmania.
9) Luanda, Angola
The Miami Beach of Africa is another city that gets largely ignored despite its stature within the continent. I guess that’s because most people are unaware of its existence and the sporting history isn’t exactly what I’d call storied. Still, the kit colors could reflect the flag which has shades of Newell’s in Argentina with some added yellow, or even something more tropical with a deep ocean blue and yellow kits. I think this is extremely unlikely, but a city and brand I could surely get behind.
8) Prague, Czech Republic
This one snuck in primarily because I’m a huge fan of the city in real life. If you’re ever in Central/Eastern Europe I’d highly suggest taking a visit. The old town of the city is a truly cool place to explore and the people love their local teams (football, hockey, and Basketball). I could see brown kits with white accents looking good with this brand, as the view of old town across the river invokes these colors in my mind and it just seems to fit. Classic brown and white vibes kinda city. Something like St. Pauli’s comes to mind.
7) Transylvania, Romania
We all know this storied region of Vampire fame. Dracula vibes would probably need to be strong with this brand. Black and red kits reminiscent of Bayer Leverkusen might be a good place to start, but it’s perhaps too basic for this relatively unique location. Maybe something simpler along the lines of Rapid Magyar in terms of a badge, but grey or charcoal and white kits could evoke these colors dark forests of Transylvania in a less basic way. For those who prefer color, the yellow from the Romanian flag could pair well with either of the other two colors in the nation’s flag, or stand alone like it does with Villarreal in La Liga.
6) Kathmandu, Nepal
As a member of a southeast Asian club in the SSL, I have a soft spot for creative branding in little represented parts of the continent. I can’t think of a place better suited of recognition than the gateway to the Himalayas. The badge could be really impressive for this hypothetical club, as it could invoke the mountains, perhaps even the club name could pay homage to the region’s most prominent feature. I can see sky blue and white kits working brilliantly for this idea, representing the sky and clouds that the Himalayas provide unique immersion in.
5) Lisbon, Portugal
Portugal is a powerhouse in world football that is currently overlooked in our league. Lisbon is the center of it all with two of the three powerhouse clubs in Portuguese football being located there. I can’t think of a more majestic city to locate a new club. I could see the Portuguese national team maroon pairing well with Navy Blue similar to Barca or Portuguese club Chaves’s kits. There are so many ways you can go with the brand. Even if Lisbon is too basic for the new teams, the Azores or Madeira could be a wonderful exotic location that is still technically Portugal.
4) Bermuda
Sticking on the theme of random islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda is a place that I think would be a great location for a new club. A Three Lions style kits would look wonderful on this former trading port turned vacation island. While I don’t really know what teams could do to fold the culture in, it seems like they might be able to pull off a nautical theme that would be reminiscent of Corinthians in Brazil or the legendary Marine FC of FA Cup legend. I’d be excited to see what could be pulled off.
3) Dublin, Ireland
What would a simulated soccer league be without a Celtic/Shamrock Rovers ripoff club in its ranks? The colors will obviously be Kelly green and white and the badge would have to incorporate a shamrock or clover (whatever they’re really called). The Emerald Isle could be a great location for a minors team and could be great rivals for Inter London. While I’d expect some added flair, having a traditional branding would be a great addition to a league filled with a huge variety of creativity already.
2) Tierra del Fuego, Chile
I think this remote part of the world would be a great place to drop a fictional football club. While some of the names on this list are already pretty far out of the way, this one is just about as remote as locations get. Maybe Antarctica, Siberia, and Greenland have it beat. Clean black and white kits or even black, white, and yellow kits to reflect the area’s penguins would be a fun look. The colors go with anything, so why not I figure. Also, this would represent another South American nation with a great footballing culture and could naturally rival either União or CD Buenos Aires for South American supremacy. This is an idea that I would be extremely excited to see the new expansion managers to take a shot at.
1) Panama City, Panama
In my opinion, this is the best location for an expansion club. I don’t know many people who have been to this city, but I ended up here by accident once and absolutely loved it. I can’t say any city ever caught me so off guard in my life, but Panama City way it. Beautiful modern city surrounded by jungle and beaches. Natural beauty meets modern city in a way that very few cities I’ve ever been to can replicate. Like San Francisco or Rio, but if they were safe and clean with the rest of the nation readily accessible. I think the branding could go so many different ways with Panama City, but personally I would lean into the ocean theme like Pescara Calcio in Italy. Navy blue and tan kits like Pumas in Mexico could be a great fit for the color scheme of the kits as well. While I highly doubt this is where we end up seeing a club, I wanted to draw attention to this wonderful city, and if I were calling the shots, my team would be in Panama City.
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