Charlotte FC

Charlotte Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in the 2022 MLS season as the league's 28th member and plays in the Eastern Conference.

Owned by David Tepper, Charlotte FC began after he was awarded an expansion franchise on December 17, 2019. The team plays its home games at Bank of America Stadium, which it shares with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. For most matches, the stadium's capacity is reduced to 38,000 seats.

History

Charlotte has had soccer teams for many years. The Carolina Lightnin' played in the early 1980s and won a championship in 1981. Later, the Charlotte Eagles played in the 1990s. Charlotte wanted to join Major League Soccer (MLS) in the 1990s but didn’t get a team then.

In 2019, David Tepper, who owns the Carolina Panthers, decided to bring MLS to Charlotte. The city agreed to help pay for a stadium, and MLS awarded Charlotte an expansion team in December 2019. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team couldn’t start until 2022.

Charlotte FC played its first game in February 2022. Their home game had a huge crowd, the largest in MLS history at that time. The team had some good moments and some tough losses in their first season. They finished ninth in their group but had many fans come to watch them play.

Club identity

In December 2019, it was reported that Tepper Sports had applied for a trademark for the name Charlotte FC for their new soccer team. The official name, Charlotte Football Club, was announced in July 2020 after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team's logo was designed to look like a coin and includes a crown, referencing Charlotte's nickname, the "Queen City." The team is sometimes called "The Crown." The team's first jersey, called the "Carolina Kit," was revealed in 2021 and features blue and white colors with outlines of North and South Carolina. A second jersey was introduced in 2022, and a new one called the "Crown Jewel" was shown before the 2023 season.

Stadium

Charlotte FC plays at Bank of America Stadium, a big stadium with many seats. It is also where the Carolina Panthers play. The Panthers are owned by the same person who owns Charlotte FC. For most games, Charlotte FC uses only part of the stadium. For important games, they use more seats to fill the stadium.

The stadium was updated for Charlotte FC. This added special areas for the team, like locker rooms and a tunnel for players. It also made the area around the stadium bigger. The grass was changed to a special kind of field.

Headquarters and training facility

Charlotte FC first planned to build their training place at a shopping mall, but they changed their plans. Now they use a building in the Uptown area of Charlotte. They practice at a place called Sportsplex at Matthews while they build their new home.

In 2022, they announced new plans to turn an office building in Charlotte into their headquarters and training spot. This place, called Atrium Health Performance Park, opened in August 2023. It has lots of space for the team, including fields for practice. This place was also used by big teams like Real Madrid and Inter Milan for a big tournament in 2025, and it will be where the Scotland national team stays during a world tournament in 2026.

Broadcasting

Since 2023, Apple TV has shown all MLS matches worldwide in English and Spanish. Their MLS Season Pass includes every Charlotte FC game.

Before that, Charlotte FC worked with the Cox Media Group for local TV broadcasts. Most English games in Charlotte were on WAXN-TV, with others on WSOC-TV. Spanish broadcasts were only on Telemundo Charlotte. In 2025, WAXN and WSOC-TV will show Charlotte FC matches again, but with a delay.

The team also had radio broadcasts through Radio One. Most English games were on WFNZ-FM, with some on WBT. Spanish games aired on WOLS.

Ownership and management

Charlotte FC is owned by David Tepper, a businessman who also owns the Carolina Panthers. He brought in Zoran Krneta as the club's sporting director in December 2019. Marc Nicholls, a former coach of the Carolina Dynamo, became the technical director and helped with the youth academy until he left before the team's first season.

Miguel Ángel Ramírez was hired as the team's first head coach in July 2021, but he was later replaced. Christian Lattanzio took over as coach and stayed until November 2023. Dean Smith then became the team's third head coach in December 2023.

Reserves and academy

From 2021 to 2022, Charlotte FC worked with Charlotte Independence for player development. In 2023, they started their own reserve team called Crown Legacy FC. The club's youth academy began in July 2020 with teams for different age groups. In 2022, the club signed its first homegrown players, Brian Romero and Nimfasha Berchimas.

Club culture

Charlotte FC has four officially recognized supporters groups called "the Royal Family". They sit in the east end at Bank of America Stadium. The groups are Mint City Collective, Southbound and Crown, the Uptown Ultras, Carolina Hooliganz, and Blue Furia, a Latin American group with a band. Other clubs include the Queen's Firm and the QC Royals.

Before each home game, a local celebrity is chosen as the "monarch" of the match. After a win, the best player is honored by the fans. Fans also do a special dance called "the Poznań" to a song by Farruko called "Pepas". The team's mascot is Sir Minty, a soccer ball character who wears a crown and a cape.

Players

See also: List of Charlotte FC players

Roster

As of April 21, 2026

Note: Flags show which country each player is from. Some players may have more than one country they can play for.

Out on loan

Note: Flags show which country each player is from. Some players may have more than one country they can play for.

Staff

Current technical staff

Last updated: November 9, 2025
Source: Charlotte FC

Team records

**^**a. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
**^**b. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league, MLS Cup Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.

Head coaches

As of November 2025

• Includes regular season, playoff, CONCACAF Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, and U.S. Open Cup games.

Captains