North Carolina awards $14.4 million to bring WTA Finals to Charlotte
The grant from a state major-events fund will support three years of tournaments as the Women’s Tennis Association moves its global headquarters to Charlotte.
North Carolina will provide a $14.4 million state grant to help Charlotte host the Women’s Tennis Association Finals for three years, the Governor’s Office announced Wednesday.
The money will come from the Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund, known as the MEGA Fund, which the N.C. Department of Commerce uses to help communities recruit sporting, entertainment and cultural events. The grant will assist the Charlotte Sports Foundation and its city, county and business partners in hosting the finals in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
The Women’s Tennis Association also plans to establish its global headquarters in Charlotte. State officials said a WTA 500 tournament is expected to be held in the city after 2029.
The 2027 finals are scheduled for Nov. 10-14 at Spectrum Center. The competition will feature the season’s top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams. State officials project attendance of 80,000, with practice courts, fan activities and meeting space planned at the Charlotte Convention Center.
The Governor’s Office said early projections estimate the season-ending tournament will have an economic impact of tens of millions of dollars on the region. The release did not provide the analysis behind that projection, projected state tax revenue or the amount of any local public contribution.
The grant brings the MEGA Fund’s total awards to $39.8 million, according to the state. That means the WTA award represents more than one-third of all grants the fund has announced to date.
Gov. Josh Stein and Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley described the agreement as an opportunity to draw visitors and strengthen the state’s sports and tourism sectors. Their announcement highlighted recent major events in North Carolina, including golf, motorsports, pickleball, soccer and Major League Soccer activities.
The public investment gives the announcement a broader fiscal-policy dimension beyond Charlotte. State incentive programs are designed to compete for economic activity, but the release leaves several accountability questions for follow-up, including the grant’s performance requirements, payment schedule, clawback provisions and the methodology used to measure economic impact.
Those details should be confirmed with Commerce before publication if NC Political News wants to expand the story beyond the terms disclosed in the state announcement.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
