The season-ending WTA Finals will be held in North Carolina for at least three years from 2027, as the tour seeks to take greater control of its flagship event amid financial concerns.
The finals, featuring the season’s top-eight singles players and doubles teams, will be played in Charlotte at the venue which hosts the Hornets NBA team.
WTA chair Valerie Camillo said the tour wanted to build the finals into the “Super Bowl of women’s sports”.
Camillo said the WTA would operate the event itself rather than rely on the type of outside-promoter arrangement previously used.
“The WTA will be taking greater ownership and control of the event and investing alongside our partners,” Camillo said.
Financial details of Charlotte’s package were not disclosed ahead of a planned announcement by local partners.
Camillo said it represented a “meaningful investment” that gave the WTA confidence to commit to the city.
The move follows the WTA’s decision to relocate the November 2026 finals to Indian Wells, California, after ending an agreement under which Riyadh had hosted the event with the backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
British newspaper The Telegraph reported last week internal WTA projections showed the tour could run out of cash next year and move into debt by autumn 2027 if its spending pattern continued.
The report said the WTA expected operating losses of $US23 million ($32 million) in 2026 and cited the loss of revenue associated with the Saudi finals deal as a major contributor.
Camillo said 2026 was a transitional year and the tour was tightening spending while absorbing the unexpected cost of moving the finals to Indian Wells.
The WTA has not yet set prize money for the 2027 finals.
Camillo said equal prize money remained an important goal, but added the tour was considering alternatives, including a profit-sharing model with players.
“We want this event to be built together with the players,” she said.
“Why stop at equal prize money?”
The WTA also plans to establish a greater operational presence in Charlotte as it builds the event.
Reuters
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