Charlotte, North Carolina, To Be Home of WTA Finals and Global HQ for WTA

The WTA is moving its global headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina, and bringing the WTA Finals, the biggest non-Grand Slam event in women’s tennis, to the Queen City for three years starting in 2027, the WTA announced. As part of the arrangement, the WTA Tour will take over operation of the season-ending event, which features the top eight players in singles and the top eight doubles pairs each year. It will be held at Spectrum Center, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.

“The WTA Finals represents everything that makes women’s tennis extraordinary: the world’s best athletes, competing at the highest level, on a stage worthy of what they have accomplished,” said Valerie Camillo, Chair of the WTA. “Women’s tennis has spent generations helping push women’s sports forward, and we have an opportunity now to lead again by building a championship experience that reflects just how far women’s sport has come and where it is going next. In Charlotte, we found more than a host city. We found partners who share that ambition and a place where we can build a true home for the Finals and for the WTA.”

This year’s edition will be held in Indian Wells, Florida, from November 7—14. It was supposed to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the last of a three-year arrangement, but it was moved because of the geopolitical tensions in the region. The WTA has been conducting a global search to determine the future home for the Finals. The Charlotte Sports Foundation served as the lead local partner to the WTA throughout the search process.

“This is a transformational moment for Charlotte and for our organization,” said Will Pitts, CEO of the Charlotte Sports Foundation. “Bringing the WTA Finals to our city is a testament to what Charlotte has become as a world-class sports destination, and we are incredibly grateful to the WTA for their trust and partnership in making this vision a reality. None of this happens without the support of our partners at the state, city, and county levels, and we are deeply thankful for their commitment to growing Charlotte’s sports footprint. I also want to recognize our Board of Directors, whose leadership and belief in what this organization can accomplish made a deal of this magnitude possible.”

The WTA will have to work around the Hornets’ schedule in determining dates for the event each year. After 2029, the WTA plans to hold a WTA 500 event, part of the sport’s middle tier of events, in Charlotte, which will require the city to build a suitable venue.

‘Super Bowl of Women’s Sports’

Camilo’s stated goal is to make the WTA Finals the “Super Bowl of women’s sports,” which was part of the reason the WTA headquarters are being moved. The WTA will also now have operational control over the Finals, rather than using a licensing fee model and having outside promoters organize the event.

For the first 29 years of its existence, starting in 1972, the event was held in the United States, including 22 straight years at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Since then, however, the Finals have only taken place in the U.S. five times: Los Angeles from 2002-05 and Fort Worth, Texas, in 2022. Among its global stops were Munich, Madrid, Istanbul and Singapore.

The move to Charlotte is the latest major development for the WTA. Camilo was named chairperson in October 2025 to replace the retiring Steve Simon. Two months later it reached a significant sponsorship deal with Mercedes-Benz late last year that led to the tour being rebranded as “WTA Tour driven by Mercedes-Benz.” Then came the decision to move this year’s Finals from Riyadh to Saudi Arabia, which has come at significant financial cost to the organization.

The singles champion is awarded the Billie Jean King Trophy while the doubles champions earn the Martina Navratilova Trophy.

Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s WTA Finals, a result that was repeated in last weekend’s U.S. Open singles final.

Additional programming during the 2027 WTA Finals will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center. Further information on that programming, as well as dates and tickets, will be announced later.