A $2 million grant from the state of North Carolina is helping bring the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star Game to Charlotte. The event will be held at Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC.
“Charlotte has turned into a big-time soccer city, and we are pleased to bring the 2026 MLS All-Star Game to the Queen City,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “The city and region keep showing up for the sport — from packed Charlotte FC crowds to global events like the FIFA Club World Cup and Copa América the past two summers. We’re excited to bring another marquee soccer event to Charlotte.”
The $2 million in funding will come from the newly created Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fund under the Department of Commerce and approved by the North Carolina General Assembly. The fund was created in early 2024 with the start of state regulated sports wagering in North Carolina. Revenues from legalized sports betting have been earmarked to grow tourism and promote North Carolina as a destination for high-profile sporting and entertainment events.
“I am proud that North Carolina has been chosen to host the 2026 Major League Soccer All-Star Game,” said Gov. Josh Stein. “Our state’s new Major Events Fund puts us in a stronger position to compete for these highly visible, top-tier events that draw people and their resources to our state. Visitors to Charlotte will see that North Carolina is a great place to live, work, and play.”
Critics of taxpayer-funded sports incentives argue that, while events bring short-term attention, they often fail to deliver long-term job creation or infrastructure improvement.
“Major, one-off events, like this All-Star game, may provide a very short-term economic sugar high, but typically don’t inspire any meaningful or lasting economic growth,” Brian Balfour, vice president of research for the John Locke Foundation, told Carolina Journal. “For instance, the city of Detroit hosted two major events in a short time horizon: the MLB Major League All-Star game in the summer of 2005 and the Super Bowl in February of 2006. Just prior to the All-Star game its unemployment rate was 6.9%. The month after the Super Bowl, the rate had risen to 7.2%.”
Balfour said that using taxpayer funds for events and attractions like a soccer game is outside the core scope of government’s proper role. He said those funds would likely be better used elsewhere to inspire lasting economic growth.
The date for the league’s 30th All-Star Game will be announced at a later date.
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Author: NIck Craig
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