For one week this July, the entire Major League Soccer universe turns its eyes to the Queen City, and I genuinely cannot think of a better stage for this club to prove the point it has been making since day one.
The 2026 MLS All Star Game is coming to Bank of America Stadium on July 29, the first time the showcase has ever been played here, with the MLS All Stars taking on a team of stars from Liga MX. Let that sink in. A club that played its first match in 2022 is hosting the league’s biggest single night of the regular season. That does not happen by accident.
Here is the detail I love most. As manager of the host club, Dean Smith gets to select a chunk of the All Star roster himself, putting a Charlotte fingerprint all over the whole event. Our captain Tim Ream is already in the First XI. Two of our own academy products earned spots in the MLS NEXT All Star Game during the same week. This is not us hosting a party for other people. This is us at the center of it.
And we know how to do a big night. This is the franchise that drew a league record crowd of more than 74,000 to its inaugural home opener. We do not do small. We do not do quiet. When this city decides to show up for soccer, it shows up in numbers that make the rest of the league take notice.
So whatever happens in the league table over the back half of the season, mark this week down as the one that matters off the pitch. A full slate of programming, the skills challenge, the academy showcase, and the main event itself, all in our house. For one week in July, the Queen City will not just be in MLS. It will be the capital of it. Get loud, Charlotte. The whole league is watching.