Panthers' Stadium to Host Major Event in 2026

Major League Soccer announced on Wednesday the 2026 All-Star Game will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The hometown Charlotte FC will take on a team to be determined at a later date. The league's 30th All-Star Game has not been scheduled as of yet. However, it will be played after the conclusion of the World Cup, which is coming to the United States next summer.

“It’ll come after the World Cup, probably one of the big events, if not the big event, coming out of the 2026 World Cup,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said at a press event announcing Charlotte as the host city. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to figure out the logistics of player releases and whatnot.”

The World Cup is scheduled to start on June 11 and run through July 19. Games will be played throughout the United States and the Final will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Charlotte has averaged the second-highest number of fans per game in the MLS during each of its first three seasons. The team has averaged 35,000 fans per match. Recently, Bank of America Stadium hosted four matches in the FIFA Club World Cup.

This is the first time the expansion club has hosted the event. Charlotte FC entered the league in 2022. MLS promises all expansion teams that they will host an All-Star game at some point in the near future. Charlotte's bid to host the game was enhanced by a $2 million pledge from the state's Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund, which has been recently instituted.

The money for the state portion will come from taxes related to sports betting.

“We did not have a tool before to help a local community go out and compete [for events],” N.C. Secretary of Commerce Lee Lily said to the Sports Business Journal. “If they needed additional support, we had to go find it somewhere, or it had to be a one-off from the local community. Having this fund, which comes out of that sports gaming revenue, gives the states the opportunity to regularly go out and more competitive for events.”

The 2025 game is scheduled to be played in Austin, Texas on July 23. Inter Miami CF stars Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba highlight the MLS squad that will face the best Liga MX at Q2 Stadium.

The league had a perfect record against Liga MX until 2024, when the Mexican league defeated MLS All-Stars 4-1 at Lower.com field in Columbus, Ohio.