Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-16 · by Andrew Dampf The Associated Press
The WTA Finals will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Spectrum Center for the next three years, with organizers aiming to make it "the Super Bowl for women’s sports." The event is set to take place annually from 2026 to 2028 and will feature the top eight singles players and doubles teams. Valerie Camillo, WTA chair, stated that the move aims to reflect the growing prominence of women's tennis and create a larger-scale annual gathering for women’s sports and business. This decision comes after the WTA opted out of hosting the event in Saudi Arabia due to financial concerns and geopolitical issues, with Charlotte replacing Riyadh as the venue starting next year.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
The WTA Finals, the elite season-ending event in women’s tennis, will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the next three years in a move that organizers hope will create “the Super Bowl for women’s sports.”
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organizers → end → sports
The tournament will be played at the Spectrum Center, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, the WTA and the Charlotte Sports Foundation announced Wednesday.
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WTA → play → Hornets
The year’s top eight singles players and doubles teams qualify for the event, which is usually held in November.
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which → qualify → November
“Our ambition is for the WTA Finals to be not only the premier championship in women’s tennis, but one of the defining global events in women sports,” WTA chair Valerie Camillo said.
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Camillo → say → sports
“We want to create the Super Bowl for women’s sports.
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We → want → sports
“Audiences are growing, investment is growing, female athletes are increasingly at the center of sports and culture around the world.
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athletes → grow → world
And women’s tennis has helped lead and define that progress for more than 50 years.
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tennis → help → years
And we believe our biggest championship should reflect the scale of this moment,” Camillo added.
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Camillo → believe → moment
Camillo called it a “minimum three-year deal.
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Camillo → call → it
She added, “We’ll see what goes on beyond that.”
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what → add → that
Leaving Saudi Arabia
The announcement comes at a time of financial difficulty for the WTA after it announced in July that it was opting out of the final year of a three-year hosting arrangement with Saudi Arabia to move this year’s Finals to Indian Wells, California.
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it → leave → Wells
Camillo noted that “2026 is a year of transition for the WTA” and that “we are doing the normal belt tightening you would expect in any business while also absorbing the unexpected cost of relocating the WTA finals to Indian Wells.
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you → note → Wells
“What’s most important to know is that we have a clear path to deliver consistent, sustainable financial performance in 2027 and beyond,” she added.
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she → ’ → 2027
With Indian Wells now set to host only once, Charlotte will become the eighth different venue for the Finals since 2018.
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Charlotte → set → 2018
The WTA did not announce any prize money figures for the upcoming tournaments, and could struggle to match the record-setting amounts that were on offer in Saudi Arabia.
uncertain
that → announce → Arabia
Elena Rybakina collected $5.23 million for winning the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh after going 5-0 at the event.
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Rybakina → collect → event
The WTA said that was the largest payout in the history of women’s sports.
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that → say → sports
Aryna Sabalenka earned $2.7 million as runner-up.
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Sabalenka → earn → up
Coco Gauff won the 2024 finals in Riyadh.
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Gauff → win → Riyadh
The partnership will extend beyond the Finals.
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partnership → extend → Finals
The WTA will also relocate its global headquarters from St. Petersburg, Florida, to Charlotte, as part of the deal.
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WTA → relocate → deal
“The WTA has always owned the WTA finals, but now going forward, we’re going to operate it too,” Camillo said.
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Camillo → own → it
“We’re taking control of the creation of the revenues and the controlling of the expenses and the delivery of the entire thing.
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We → take → thing
“And that allows us to control our own destiny,” Camillo added.
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Camillo → allow → destiny
“Whether it’s around what we’re doing with our media rights and our production, whether it’s related to the WTA finals, whether we’re approaching our calendar, we’re going to be making bold and aggressive moves for women’s tennis that shapes the future that we want rather than reacting.”
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we → ’ → that
Camillo replaced retiring chair Steve Simon at the end of last year.
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Camillo → replace → year
She previously oversaw business operations for the Philadelphia Flyers and Wells Fargo Center as the president and CEO of the sports and entertainment division of Comcast Spectacor, and has held senior roles with the Washington Nationals and the NBA.
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She → oversee → Nationals
Asked if there was a desire to eventually merge with the ATP Finals — the men’s season-ending event — Camillo said “there hasn’t been an in-depth conversation about merging” the two tournaments.
“I think that when we create our ambition, people are going to want to merge with us on this event and many more,” she added.
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she → ask → event
Condensed schedule to fit between NBA games
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schedule → fit → games
The move to the Hornets arena during the NBA season means that the Finals will be condensed from eight to five days.
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Finals → mean → days
That means the traditional schedule of two singles and two doubles matches per day could become four singles and four doubles matches per day.
uncertain
schedule → mean → day
“We are exploring a series of alternate formats,” Camillo said.
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Camillo → explore → formats
The Spectrum Center has already hosted high-profile tennis exhibition events in recent years.
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Center → host → years
“As an organization, our mission is quite simple,” Will Pitts, CEO of the Charlotte Sports Foundation, said of the Finals.
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Pitts → say → Finals
“It’s drive economic impact and add to the quality of life through high-profile sporting events and unique partnerships.
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It → drive → events
And this certainly does that.”
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this → do → that
The move comes as Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is investing an additional $500 million into ongoing stadium renovations with an eye toward potentially bringing the Super Bowl, NFL draft, 2031 Women’s World Cup and other major sporting events to Charlotte.
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Tepper → come → Charlotte
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