Cary hosts global soccer showdown as TST returns to WakeMed Park
WakeMed Soccer Park is packed with 76 teams, more than 2,000 athletes and fans from 15 countries, turning Cary into a six-day sports-tourism engine.
Cary’s hotels, restaurants and shops are once again tied to a major influx at WakeMed Soccer Park, where The Soccer Tournament has brought 76 teams, more than 2,000 athletes and 159 matches to town from May 27 through June 1. The six-day event has made the western edge of Cary feel like an international soccer campus, with families, visiting supporters and club staff moving between the stadium, nearby businesses and the hotel corridors that depend on big event weekends.
The 2026 field stretches far beyond local teams. It includes clubs from 15 countries and eight professional leagues across four continents, with names that draw attention well outside the Triangle, including Wrexham AFC, Villarreal CF, Club América, Cagliari Calcio, Orlando Pirates, North Carolina Courage, Kings League All-Stars, KRÜ FC and Dreamville FC. Men’s, women’s and mixed brackets are all playing for $1 million prizes, giving the tournament a winner-take-all structure that blends high-level competition with a festival atmosphere. NBC is also set to air a nationally televised May 30 matchup at 2 p.m. ET between Landon Donovan’s Sneaky FC and Hope Solo’s Solo FC.
That scale is translating into real economic activity for Wake County. In October 2025, Cary and TST agreed to keep the tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park through 2029, with support from North Carolina’s Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fund, which can reimburse up to $6.8 million in eligible in-state expenses over the life of the deal. Local leaders have pointed to the tournament as a growing piece of the region’s sports-tourism economy, and the numbers from 2025 back that up: more than $14.7 million in direct economic impact, more than $547,000 in local tax revenue, nearly 20,000 room nights from out-of-county fans and $3.8 million in local lodging and transportation spending.
Attendance also climbed sharply. The 2025 tournament drew a record 51,730 fans and nearly 2,000 players from 34 countries, while the women’s bracket doubled to 16 teams. Since 2024, TST has generated $23.9 million in total economic impact for Cary and Wake County, according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. That spending lands squarely in a region where hotel occupancy, restaurant traffic and event weekends are tightly linked.
Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said the event gives fans from Cary, North Carolina and beyond a chance to experience world-class soccer close to home. TST CEO Jon Mugar said the 2026 festival is aiming to be “bigger and better than ever,” with three million-dollar goals on the line. With club activations, international food, live broadcasts and family events layered onto the matches, WakeMed Soccer Park has become more than a venue. It is a recurring summer driver for Cary’s event economy.
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