Before World Cup, Charlotte will host U.S. men’s national team in ‘send-off’ match
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Charlotte will host USMNT send-off friendly May 31 at Bank of America Stadium.
- Charlotte will see first post-roster USMNT lineup before 2025 World Cup.
- Event builds Charlotte sports tourism and bolsters stadium event portfolio.
Charlotte will get to see the U.S. men’s national team right before it heads to the World Cup.
The men’s national soccer team will visit Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Charlotte on May 31 with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m.
It’ll be one of four “send-off” friendly matches that the USMNT will play in cities across the country. The match in Charlotte will be the first competition the team will play after USMNT releases its official roster — meaning that Charlotte will get the first look at the squad that is hoping to lift the FIFA World Cup Trophy later this summer.
The opponent is still to be determined.
“We’re grateful for the partnership with Tepper Sports and Entertainment to make this possible,” Will Pitts, CEO of Charlotte Sports Foundation, told The Charlotte Observer. He added, “All eyes will be here in Charlotte to really celebrate soccer next summer.”
This is another notch in the city of Charlotte’s sports tourism belt. Or should we say — its “soccer city” belt. After all, this comes a few days after the news that the Queen City was included as a potential host city in the U.S.’s bid to host the 2031 women’s World Cup. It also comes a few months after the city was granted the 2026 MLS All-Star Game, which will take place in July.
“Next year will be the biggest summer of soccer in the history of this country and Charlotte is set to host the U.S. Men’s National Team’s penultimate friendly ahead of the FIFA World Cup,” Kristi Coleman, Tepper Sports & Entertainment CEO, wrote in a statement. “At Tepper Sports & Entertainment, we’re committed to continuing to work alongside our local partners to attract marquee events to Bank of America Stadium, strengthening Charlotte’s position as a premier destination and driving meaningful economic impact for our community.”
This won’t be the first time the U.S. men’s national team has played in Charlotte’s largest venue. The team played once before in the 75,000-capacity stadium, on July 2, 2023, in the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago. Attendance reached over 40,000 tickets and was the best-attended game that the USMNT had played in the tournament up until that point, The Charlotte Observer reported at the time.
North Carolina has hosted multiple U.S. matches in the past on the men’s and women’s side, according to a release. Beyond the aforementioned 2023 Gold Cup match, the USWNT defeated South Korea in Charlotte following their World Cup championship in 2019 in Charlotte.
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
