At a defining moment for women’s sports around the world the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) recently announced that Charlotte, North Carolina (US) will become the new home of the WTA Finals beginning in 2027 thus launching a new chapter for the Tour’s season-ending championship and its ambition to build the pre-eminent championship experience in women’s sport.
Transcended the Court
‘wtatennis.com’ stated that for more than 50 years women’s tennis has led the growth of women’s professional sports thus building a global fanbase and creating generations of athletes who have transcended the court. Today, as women’s sports reach new heights in audiences, investment, commercial interest, and cultural relevance, the WTA sees an opportunity for its premier championship to once again help set the standard for what comes next.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women’s professional tennis. The association governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women and was founded to create a better future for women’s tennis. The WTA’s corporate headquarters are in St. Petersburg, Florida (US) with its European headquarters in London (UK) and its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing (China).
Championship Platform
‘wtatennis.com’ further stated that the WTA Finals will be staged at the Spectrum Center, home of the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Charlotte Hornets, from 2027 through 2029 thus bringing the season’s top singles players and doubles teams together to compete for the most prestigious title in women’s tennis. The multiyear partnership will give the WTA greater opportunity to shape the experience and identity of one of its most important assets, deepen relationships with the fans and the commercial partners and build a championship platform designed to grow alongside women’s sport.
The 19,444-seat Spectrum Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.
‘Championship Experience’
Opined Valerie Camillo, Chair, WTA, “The Women’s Tour Association (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. 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.”
Shared Ambition
Charlotte’s selection follows a competitive global process to determine the future home of the WTA Finals. The city’s sports infrastructure, business community, hospitality, and history of successful public-private partnerships helped distinguish Charlotte as did a shared ambition to build something that extends far beyond a single week of competition.
Long-term Partnership
The Charlotte Sports Foundation has served as the WTA’s lead local partner throughout the process working alongside the State and the local leaders and the region’s business community to develop the long-term partnership.
The Charlotte Sports Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in 2013 to boost the local economy and improve the quality of life in the Charlotte, North Carolina (US) region by organizing high-profile professional, collegiate and amateur sporting events.
‘Transformational Moment’
Observed Will Pitts, Head Honcho, Charlotte Sports Foundation, “This is a transformational moment for Charlotte and for our organization. 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 the 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.”
Deeper Connections
The partnership will extend beyond the WTA Finals. The WTA will also relocate its global headquarters to Charlotte which will cultivate deeper connections with the region’s business, civic, sports, and community leaders.
A New Chapter for the WTA Finals
The WTA Finals are the culmination of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz (the official title and branding of the WTA Tour for the 2026 season onwards) season with qualification earned through performance across the year on the Public Investment Fund (PIF) Race to the WTA Finals (the official annual points race sponsored by the fund to determine which singles players and doubles teams qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals). Only the top singles players and doubles teams qualify to compete with the singles champion lifting the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy and the doubles champions earning the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Trophy. The prestigious season-ending tournament celebrates the best of the WTA on and off the court thus delivering an unrivaled fan experience that blends sport, entertainment and culture.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. It is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of US$900 billion. It was created in 1971 for the purpose of investing funds on behalf of the Government of Saudi Arabia. The wealth fund has Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler since 2015, as its Chairman.
International Reach
For most of the past two decades the Finals have traveled to markets around the world thus helping showcase women’s tennis to the global audiences and grow the international reach of the Tour. In 2026, the championship returns to the United States at Indian Wells (city in California) which will provide an exceptional setting for the world’s best players and an important bridge to the Finals’ next chapter.
Defining Moments
Beginning in 2027, the WTA will have the opportunity to build on that global foundation with a long-term home and a bigger ambition: To make the Finals week one of the defining moments on the global women’s sports calendar.
The 2027 WTA Finals will take place at the Spectrum Center with additional programming at the Charlotte Convention Center.
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