Chelsea will be billion-dollar franchise - Ohanian

Alexis Ohanian, alongside his wife Serena Williams and daughter, saw Chelsea complete the domestic treble at Wembley

"Queens of global soccer" Chelsea will become a "billion-dollar franchise", according to new co-owner Alexis Ohanian.

The Reddit founder has bought an 8-10% stake believed to be worth about £20m in the domestic treble winners - an investment Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor called a "game-changing endorsement".

Ohanian, who is married to former tennis player Serena Williams, is no stranger to investing in women's football, having previously been the largest shareholder in American side Angel City FC until it was sold for £192.3m in 2024.

He has also founded a women-only athletics event named Athlos.

The American hopes his involvement will help the Blues become "America's team" and put them at the "forefront of women's sport".

"Chelsea is very unique. These are the queens of global soccer, and they've got the trophy case to prove it. This is a very special club," Ohanian told BBC Sport.

The 42-year-old was present at Wembley, alongside his wife, for the Women's FA Cup final against Manchester United, which Chelsea won 3-0 to complete the domestic treble without losing a match.

However, while they have been dominant domestically, they were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals this season, beaten 8-2 on aggregate by holders Barcelona.

"The sky is the limit," continued Ohanian. "You heard our president say this club is unapologetically ambitious - I want to get that tattooed on me.

"That is what we're trying to build here - the best team in the world and at the forefront of women's sport.

"This will be a billion-dollar franchise one day. I hope my dollars, my pounds, can go towards that and especially back home in America. This is going to be America's team."

'It was the best way to welcome them'

Chelsea completed the domestic treble at Wembley

Manager Bompastor says her side's victory at Wembley was "the best way" to welcome Chelsea's newest investor to the club.

Ohanian was accompanied by Williams and one of their two children at the final, and had the opportunity to meet Bompastor and her players for the first time since his investment was made public.

On their meeting, Bompastor said: "It was really nice. When I found out about the news, I was really excited for them to join the club.

"They were here to show their support. You can feel from the beginning they have the right mentality coming into Chelsea.

"This was the best way to welcome them, with this game, this final, and this result.

"These people are so passionate about women and women's sport. It's so nice to have them around, enjoy it, and be with them in these moments."

Before the final, Bompastor praised the potential impact of Ohanian's investment, stating it would not only support the club's on-field ambitions, which include a maiden Women's Champions League title, but also make them a "model" for other teams.

"It just shows we are in a really great place, but we still want to be an even better team, and we want to be one of the best teams in the world," she said.

"That means results on the pitch, but also we want to be a model outside the pitch. We want to make sure that when young girls look at our team they just dream of being one of our players in the future."

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