2026 Charlotte FC season
| 2026 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sporting director | Zoran Krneta | |||
| Head coach | Dean Smith | |||
| Stadium | Bank of America Stadium | |||
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The 2026 Charlotte FC season will be the team's fifth season in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of professional club soccer in the United States. The team, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was established in 2019 and made their debut in the 2022 season. The 2026 season will be the third for Charlotte FC under English head coach Dean Smith, who was hired in December 2023 as the team's third manager.[1]
Squad information
- As of February 13, 2026[2]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
| Technical staff | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dean Smith |
| Associate head coach | Miles Joseph |
| Assistant coach | Gary Dicker |
| Sporting director | Zoran Krnet |
| Head of goalkeeping | Aron Hyde |
| Head video coach | Rohan Sachdev |
Player movement
Transfers In
| Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Pep Biel | Olympiacos | Transfer[5] | January 1, 2026 |
| MF | Luca de la Torre | Celta Vigo | Transfer[6] | January 1, 2026 |
| DF | David Schnegg | D.C. United | Waivers[7] | January 15, 2026 |
| GK | Tyler Miller | Bolton Wanderers | Transfer[8] | January 20, 2026 |
| DF | Henry Kessler | St. Louis City SC | Free agent[9] | January 29, 2026 |
| GK | Isaac Walker | Crown Legacy FC | Transfer[10] | February 6, 2026 |
Transfers Out
| Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Drake Callender | Minnesota United FC | Transfer[11] | January 1, 2026 |
| DF | Bill Tuiloma | Wellington Phoenix | Free[12][13] | January 8, 2026 |
| FW | Nick Scardina | Rhode Island FC | Free[12][14] | January 12, 2026 |
Loans Out
| Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Nikola Petković | Seattle Sounders FC | January 8, 2026[15] |
| GK | Chituru Odunze | Phoenix Rising FC | February 6, 2026[16] |
Draft picks
MLS Re-Entry Draft picks
| 2024 Charlotte FC Re-Entry Picks | ||||||
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | Team | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (Stage 1) | 22 | PASS | ||||
| 2 (Stage 2) | 22 | PASS | ||||
MLS SuperDraft picks
| 2025 Charlotte FC Picks | ||||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Will Cleary | MF | Stanford Cardinal | ||
| 2 | 52 | Luke Adams | DF | Tulsa Golden Hurricane | ||
| 3 | 82 | Jahiem Wickam | GK | South Florida Bulls | ||
Competitions
Win Draw Loss
All matches are in Eastern Time.
Preseason
| January 23 | Charlotte FC | 3–1 | Charleston Battery | |
| Report |
| January 31 | Sporting Kansas City | 0–1 | Charlotte FC | |
| Report |
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| February 7 Coachella Valley Invitational | San Jose Earthquakes | 1–0 | Charlotte FC | Indio, California |
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Report | Stadium: Empire Polo Club |
| February 14 Coachella Valley Invitational | Charlotte FC | 2–1 | Minnesota United FC | Indio, California |
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Report |
|
Stadium: Empire Polo Club |
Overview
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Major League Soccer | February 21, 2026 | November 7, 2026 | Matchday 1 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — |
| MLS Cup playoffs | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — |
| Leagues Cup | TBD | TBD | League Phase | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — |
| U.S. Open Cup | TBD | TBD | Round of 32 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | ||||
Source: Competitions
Major League Soccer (MLS)
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | New York City FC | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 10 | Qualification for round one |
| 3 | Inter Miami CF | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 10 | |
| 4 | Charlotte FC | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 8 | |
| 5 | Chicago Fire FC | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 | |
| 6 | D.C. United | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
Updated to match(es) played on March 22, 2026. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Inter Miami CF | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 10 |
| 10 | Colorado Rapids | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 9 |
| 11 | Charlotte FC | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 8 |
| 12 | FC Dallas | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 8 |
| 13 | Chicago Fire FC | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 |
Updated to match(es) played on March 22, 2026. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Last updated: March 21, 2026
Source: MLS Results
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference
Results by round
Updated to match(es) played on March 21, 2026. Source: Match reports
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; = Conference leader; = Playoffs berth; = Wild card berth
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; = Conference leader; = Playoffs berth; = Wild card berth
Match results
Win Draw Loss Void Postponed
| February 21 1 | St. Louis City SC | 1–1 | Charlotte FC | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 2:30 pm EST | Report | Stadium: Energizer Park Attendance: 22,423 Referee: Ismail Elfath |
| February 28 2 | LA Galaxy | 3–0 | Charlotte FC | Carson, California |
| 10:30 pm EST | Report | Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park Attendance: 20,205 Referee: Joe Dickerson |
| March 7 3 | Charlotte FC | 3–1 | Austin FC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EST | Report | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium Attendance: 35,611 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza |
| March 14 4 | Charlotte FC | 0–0 | Inter Miami CF | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium Attendance: 34,780 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr. |
| March 21 5 | Charlotte FC | 6–1 | New York Red Bulls | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium Attendance: 27,166 Referee: Allen Chapman |
| April 4 6 | Charlotte FC | v | Philadelphia Union | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| April 11 7 | Charlotte FC | v | Nashville SC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| April 18 8 | New York City FC | v | Charlotte FC | New York, New York |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Citi Field |
| April 22 9 | Orlando City SC | v | Charlotte FC | Orlando, Florida |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Inter&Co Stadium |
| April 25 10 | Nashville SC | v | Charlotte FC | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 8:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Geodis Park |
| May 2 11 | New England Revolution | v | Charlotte FC | Foxborough, Massachusetts |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Gillette Stadium |
| May 9 12 | Charlotte FC | v | FC Cincinnati | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| May 13 13 | Charlotte FC | v | New York City FC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| May 16 14 | Charlotte FC | v | Toronto FC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| May 23 15 | Charlotte FC | v | New England Revolution | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| July 22 16 | Charlotte FC | v | Atlanta United FC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 8:00 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| July 25 17 | New York Red Bulls | v | Charlotte FC | Harrison, New Jersey |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium |
| August 1 18 | Chicago Fire FC | v | Charlotte FC | Chicago, Illinois |
| 8:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Soldier Field |
| August 15 19 | Charlotte FC | v | Columbus Crew | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| August 19 20 | Toronto FC | v | Charlotte FC | Toronto, Ontario |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: BMO Field |
| August 22 21 | Charlotte FC | v | D.C. United | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| August 29 22 | Atlanta United FC | v | Charlotte FC | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| September 5 23 | Charlotte FC | v | Houston Dynamo FC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| September 9 24 | CF Montréal | v | Charlotte FC | Montreal, Quebec |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Saputo Stadium |
| September 12 25 | FC Cincinnati | v | Charlotte FC | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: TQL Stadium |
| September 19 26 | D.C. United | v | Charlotte FC | Washington, D.C. |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Audi Field |
| September 26 27 | Charlotte FC | v | Chicago Fire FC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| October 10 28 | Charlotte FC | v | FC Dallas | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| October 14 29 | Columbus Crew | v | Charlotte FC | Columbus, Ohio |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field |
| October 17 30 | Philadelphia Union | v | Charlotte FC | Chester, Pennsylvania |
| 2:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Subaru Park |
| October 24 31 | Portland Timbers | v | Charlotte FC | Portland, Oregon |
| 10:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Providence Park |
| October 28 32 | Charlotte FC | v | CF Montréal | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| October 31 33 | Charlotte FC | v | Orlando City SC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 1:00 pm EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| November 7 34 | Inter Miami CF | v | Charlotte FC | Miami, Florida |
| 4:00 pm EST | Stadium: Nu Stadium |
U.S. Open Cup
Leagues Cup
| August 4 1 | Charlotte FC | v | UNAM | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| TBD p.m. EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| August 7 2 | Charlotte FC | v | Atlas | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| TBD p.m. EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
| August 11 3 | Charlotte FC | v | Pachuca | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| TBD p.m. EDT | Stadium: Bank of America Stadium |
References
- ^ Connuck, Shane (December 18, 2023). "Dean Smith hopes to lead 'successful and consistent' culture as Charlotte FC head coach". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "Roster". Charlotte FC. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Technical Staff". Charlotte FC. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Promotes Crown Legacy FC Head Coach Gary Dicker to First Team Assistant Coach". Charlotte FC. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Charlotte FC roster update: Wilfried Zaha & Pep Biel remain for 2026". Charlotte FC. November 21, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Acquires USMNT Midfielder Luca de la Torre from Celta de Vigo". Charlotte FC. December 30, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Acquires Austrian Left Back David Schnegg Via Waivers". Charlotte FC. January 15, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Acquires Goalkeeper Tyler Miller from Bolton Wanderers". Charlotte FC. January 20, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Signs Free Agent Center Back Henry Kessler". Charlotte FC. January 29, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Signs Crown Legacy FC Goalkeeper Isaac Walker". Charlotte FC. February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "MNUFC Acquire Goalkeeper Drake Callender from Charlotte". Minnesota United FC. December 29, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ a b "Charlotte FC Announces End of Season Roster Decisions". Charlotte FC. November 21, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Experienced All Whites defender joins the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. January 8, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Rhode Island FC Signs Defender Nick Scardina For 2026 Season". Rhode Island FC. January 12, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Sounders FC Acquires Midfielder Nikola Petković on Loan from Charlotte FC". Seattle Sounders FC. January 8, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Charlotte FC Loans Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze to Phoenix Rising FC". Charlotte FC. February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.