The Charlotte sports calendar

Charlotte has one stadium for two teams, one arena, two ballparks, a speedway and a golf course the tour visits, and the calendar is arranged so that something is always in season. This guide is who plays when, month by month, with the stadium rules and the pregame guides linked. Team facts come from their listings and sites; businesses link to the directory. Schedules change yearly; this is the pattern.

The shape of the year

Fall is football and the ROVAL. Winter is the Hornets and the Checkers. Spring is baseball, Charlotte FC’s early season, the Whitewater Center’s festival and the golf. Summer is baseball, soccer and the 600. There is no month without a home game, which is the city’s quiet advantage over places with a single big team.

The stadium: Panthers and Charlotte FC

Bank of America Stadium Uptown is home to both the Panthers, September through December, and Charlotte FC, roughly February through October, under Tepper Sports & Entertainment. The stadium’s clear-bag policy and mobile-only ticketing apply to both (Panthers.com). Panthers Sundays fill Uptown from 9 a.m.; Charlotte FC Saturdays are calmer and the tailgate is a soccer crowd’s, with the supporters’ march down South Mint. The stadium guide has the pregame and the LYNX guide the train; the parking guide‘s advice is to take it.

The arena and the coliseum: Hornets and Checkers

The Hornets play at Spectrum Center Uptown, October through April, at the Transportation Center light-rail stop. The Checkers, the AHL hockey team, play at Bojangles Coliseum on Independence, the landmarked original Charlotte Coliseum, October through April; it’s the cheapest professional ticket in the city and the best for a family. The rec sports guide has the hockey and basketball leagues that follow.

The ballparks: Knights and Cannon Ballers

The Knights, Triple-A, play at Truist Field Uptown across from Romare Bearden Park, April through September, with fireworks Fridays; the Cannon Ballers, Single-A, play in downtown Kannapolis, April through September, in a ballpark small enough to hear the pitcher. The HarborHippos play summer collegiate ball in Huntersville, June and July, per their listing. A minor-league night is the best cheap night in the metro, and the grandparent guide says why.

The speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway‘s Coca-Cola 600 over Memorial Day and the Bank of America ROVAL 400 in October are the two race weekends, per the speedway’s listing, and the speedway guide covers both. Hotel rates and traffic spike for each; the where to stay guide warns.

The golf

The Truist Championship brings the PGA Tour to Quail Hollow Club in May (Axios Charlotte), and the golfer guide covers the club and the public courses around it. The disc golf worlds-caliber course at Winthrop hosts the U.S. Disc Golf Championship in October (Charlotte’s Got A Lot).

The races people run

The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon runs Saturday November 14 in 2026, Uptown through Dilworth, Myers Park, NoDa and Plaza Midwood (Charlotte’s Got A Lot). The Whitewater Center’s race series runs on its trails; the charity 5Ks fill every Saturday from March to November, including the Angels of ’97 5K. The runner guide has the routes.

The colleges and the high schools

UNC Charlotte plays football and basketball at the end of the Blue Line; Davidson plays basketball in a gym that has produced a few famous alumni; Wingate fields 28 Division II teams; Belmont Abbey has its athletics hall of fame; Winthrop plays in Rock Hill. Friday night high school football is the ring towns’ real sport, and the Charlotte Touchdown Club, home of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, is the city’s football society. The youth sports guide covers the pipeline.

Watching, not attending

The sports bars: Christopher’s in Clover, Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson, Pins N’ Wins‘s bar, and the taprooms in the breweries guide with the game on. The bar events guide covers the nights without a game.

The tickets

The Panthers and Charlotte FC sell through the team apps and the secondary market, and a Charlotte FC ticket is a fraction of a Panthers one for the same seat. The Hornets and Checkers have family packs. The Knights and Cannon Ballers are the cheapest seats in the city and the lawn seats are cheaper. The speedway sells through its site and the camping through its reservations. The Truist Championship sells daily grounds passes. Book the 600 and the Panthers early; walk up to everything else.

Playing, not watching

Charlotte’s adult leagues follow the pro calendar: kickball and softball in spring and fall, flag football when the Panthers play, pickup hockey after the Checkers. The rec sports guide and the pickleball guide list the leagues, Carolina Pickleball Club runs the courts, The Athlete’s Guild and Hoops College train the kids who’ll play in the stadium someday. And the fitness guide has the gym for the rest of us.

The venues, by transit

Bank of America Stadium and Spectrum Center are on the Blue Line (Stonewall and Carson for the stadium, the Transportation Center for the arena); Truist Field is a block from the 3rd Street station. Bojangles Coliseum is a bus ride out Independence. The speedway, the Cannon Ballers’ ballpark and Quail Hollow are car trips, and the airport guide‘s drive times apply. A visiting fan without a car can see the Panthers, Charlotte FC, the Hornets and the Knights in a week and never park.

The sports year, in one line

Football and the ROVAL in fall, hockey and basketball in winter, baseball and soccer and the golf in spring, baseball and the 600 in summer. The annual calendar has everything else. Know a team we’ve missed, semi-pro to rec? Tell us.