‘Just jump on’ - How Charlotte FC sparked a soccer boom and the $1.3 billion stadium bet aiming to sustain it

When Sudol first joined up with Tepper Sports & Entertainment, which owns both Charlotte FC and the Carolina Panthers, he was very quickly hit with a defining moment. His first game in his current gig was Charlotte FC's 2025 home opener against Atlanta. It still stands out.

"I remember standing and watching Pepas go off," he says, referring to the pregame Poznan to the hit song, "and I just said to myself, 'This is different'. I've been a part of some great atmospheres. I've been a part of kind of selling a couple other MLS stadiums through my prior life, and one of them was LAFC, which is obviously known for its experience as well. But we are absolutely in the upper echelon.

"At the risk of coming across in a presumptuous way, I'm going to be careful with my comments, but I believe we can be the standard. That's the hope. That's the expectation. We're clearly right now one of, but I think we can be the, and we're going to do that too."

In its brief time in MLS, Charlotte FC has lived up to that. In 2025, Charlotte FC ranked third in MLS attendance, averaging just under 29,000 fans per game. They occupy the same position so far in 2026. Wednesday’s All-Star Game drew a capacity crowd of 35,197, compared with the 20,738 who attended last year’s event in Austin.

It's not just MLS either. Earlier this summer, 57,741 fans were in the stands for the U.S. men's national team's send-off game against Senegal. USMNT star Christian Pulisic went out of his way to praise the environment created by those fans after the game.

"The fans and the energy in the stadium really carried us through the beginning of the game," he said. "I was really impressed. I don't remember many better venues playing in America. I felt like the energy of the stadium was there, and that helped so much.

"I don't even know if it's underrated, like it's great. I just felt like the support was awesome. It just felt like so many, like a pro-U.S. crowd. It was just so fun to play in front of that. I really enjoyed it."

There has been praise aplenty, but club and city leadership aren’t content. Instead, they are investing heavily in what comes next.

Sudol begins the tour at MoMINTum, which offers a glimpse of the planned $1.3 billion renovation of Bank of America Stadium. Immersive rooms recreate the proposed stadium experience, while holographic projections, renderings and giant screens allow visitors to walk through the renovations before they happen. Sudol says it’s just the beginning.

The project is not being funded by Tepper Sports alone. The City of Charlotte has committed up to $650 million in tourism-related tax revenue toward the work, while TSE is responsible for the remaining renovation costs and any overruns. The agreement also keeps the Panthers and Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium through 2045.

"When I sat down with Dave and Nicole [Tepper], I realized they're not about to sit still, right?" he says. "They're here to win in every aspect, and all the other things too. I realized this was a very communal and philanthropic approach they had, and so, if you look at the greatest community unifier, I would say arguably in the world, it is soccer, right? You see that on a bigger platform here.

Much of Bank of America Stadium’s redesign, scheduled for completion by 2030, was developed with soccer in mind. One exterior corner will become a pavilion where fans can gather before the march to the match, while traffic patterns will be redirected to accommodate tailgating and supporters’ marches. Plans also include new bars, suites and lounges, along with a standing-room-only patio behind one goal overlooking the Charlotte skyline.

Other additions include a concert venue, a speakeasy, a new scoreboard and upgraded seating. Rather than leave their centrally located home for a newer stadium, Charlotte FC and the Carolina Panthers are attempting to transform Bank of America Stadium into one of the country’s premier sports and entertainment venues.

For players and fans, the All-Star Game centered on what happened on the field. From the training facility a short drive from downtown to the two venues that hosted events, the week largely ran smoothly, aside from weather delaying the Skills Challenge.

"I think the fans are amazing," MLS All-Star Zavier Gozo said, "and the city and the stadium, training facilities are all amazing. I think it was an amazing experience, and good to be in a new place and see this."

Behind the scenes, the event also brought MLS’s key decision-makers together. This past week, for example, the league’s Board of Governors reportedly began discussions about changes to MLS roster construction. The All-Star Game is one of the few points on the calendar when executives from across the league gather in the same city.

That makes the event an advertisement for its host. Charlotte had an opportunity to showcase itself not only to fans, but also to MLS owners, league sponsors and hundreds of executives representing dozens of companies.

“What an opportunity,” Sudol said. “Here in this great city, this great region, we’re on the brightest stage and the biggest stage. It’s like buying a great infomercial about what’s happening here and letting that story out, and we do it on the backs of the world’s game.”

By the weekend, MLS clubs were back in action, and the league’s attention had shifted. The All-Star show had moved on, leaving Charlotte to determine what it could build from the week.

Charlotte is already looking toward the next major event and expects to pursue those opportunities as they become available. There is even talk of a Super Bowl coming to the city once renovations are complete.

“I think if the growth [in this city] continues,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “that is probably somewhere down the line.”

But soccer remains central to those ambitions. Bank of America Stadium is Charlotte FC’s home, has attracted major crowds for the U.S. men’s national team and just hosted the MLS All-Star Game. Many elements of the renovation, from the supporters’ gathering area to the redesigned march route and social patio behind the goal, are intended to build on that foundation.

In the immediate future, Charlotte FC hopes the All-Star Game can serve as a gateway. Some fans may have attended to see Son Heung-min or their favorite Liga MX player. The club now wants to persuade them to return for a Charlotte FC match.

“We’re in the resume-building business for this city and the region,” Sudol said. “We’re in the resume-building business for Charlotte FC, right? You think about the number of people that move here that have not had exposure to Charlotte FC. If this becomes the gateway, what an opportunity for us.”

That, ultimately, is the opportunity Charlotte sees in soccer. Charlotte FC did not build the local culture from scratch, but the club has given it a major-league platform. The All-Star Game demonstrated how far the city has come, while the growing talk of hosting events such as the Super Bowl illustrates how much bigger its ambitions have become. The stadium renovation represents a $1.3 billion bet on how much further both can go.