[7][8] The Charlotte Convention Center hosted the MLS SuperDraft and National Soccer Coaches Association of America conference in January 2004.

[4][10] The area also has a large soccer-playing population, centered around recreational leagues that have led other efforts to attract a professional team to Charlotte.

[11] A separate professional team, the Charlotte Independence, was founded in 2014 and replaced the Eagles in the second division (now named the USL Championship).

[14] The team hired a sports investment firm in October 2016 to advertise the MLS bid to potential investors while preparing further stadium plans.

[21][22] Charlotte also faced competition from a bid submitted by Raleigh, North Carolina, who were also part of the twelve-city shortlist and had support from the state government.

[33] He announced plans in September to upgrade the existing Bank of America Stadium to make it suitable for an MLS team, which would include up to $210 million in contributions from the city government.

[35][36] In November, MLS commissioner Don Garber named Charlotte as the frontrunner to earn the slot for the 30th team, praising Tepper's efforts and the bid's plans.

[37] The Charlotte City Council approved $110 million in stadium and franchise funding in late November, using revenue from a hospitality tax.

[38] MLS's board of governors convened in early December to discuss the Charlotte bid and authorized final negotiations with Tepper.

[45] The club signed its first player, Spanish midfielder Sergio Ruiz, from Racing Santander on July 8, 2020; he was immediately loaned out to UD Las Palmas for 18 months, with an expected arrival in Charlotte in January 2022.

[47] During the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft, Charlotte FC selected five players and traded away two for general allocation money; the three picks they kept were used on veteran defenders Anton Walkes and Joseph Mora along with winger McKinze Gaines.

[49] Joe LaBue, a Carolina Panthers sales executive, was appointed club president in February 2022 to replace Glick after his departure.

[51] Charlotte FC played their first MLS regular season match on February 26, 2022, losing 3–0 to D.C. United at Audi Field.

[53][54] Adam Armour scored the club's first goal on March 13 in a 2–1 loss to Atlanta United FC; Charlotte's first win, a 3–1 result at home, was a week later against the defending Supporters Shield holders New England Revolution.

[55] Ramírez was fired on May 31 after 14 league matches due to conflicts with the front office according to media reports;[56] at the time, Charlotte was tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference, one place below a playoff berth.

[62] The club remained in contention for a playoff spot until the penultimate matchday of the season, but were eliminated after a 2–2 draw with the Columbus Crew.

[75] The bid organizers signed a multi-year kit sponsorship agreement with Ally Financial in July 2019 for the then-unannounced MLS team.

[81] A new secondary jersey, named the "Crown Jewel", was unveiled ahead of the 2023 season; it is primarily purple with blue highlights and pink stripes in an homage to Queen Charlotte according to team president Joe LaBue.

[86] The stadium's grass surface was replaced with FieldTurf in 2021 due to the additional wear expected from hosting MLS matches.

[38][92] In October 2020, the planned Eastland Mall facility was cancelled due to a reduction in financial incentives offered by the city government, including a tax reimbursement.

[93] The Eastland site was instead proposed as the home of the Charlotte FC Elite Academy, which would occupy 22 acres (8.9 ha) for youth soccer and other public sportsfields.

[94] Charlotte FC's headquarters were replaced with a building in the Uptown neighborhood, while the team would train at Sportsplex at Matthews until a permanent facility is built.

[99][100] The English television broadcasting team comprised play-by-play announcer Eric Krakauer, formerly of BeIN Sports; and color commentator Lloyd Sam, a former MLS player.

[99][104] Charlotte FC is owned by David Tepper, a billionaire hedge fund manager and businessman who bought the National Football League's Carolina Panthers in 2018.

[107][108] Miguel Ángel Ramírez, formerly manager of Brazil's Sport Club Internacional, was hired as the team's first head coach in July 2021.

[116] Charlotte FC has five officially recognized supporters groups seated in the east end at Bank of America Stadium.

[123] The club's official mascot is Sir Minty, an anthropomorphic soccer ball that wears a crown, cape, and an oversized silver chain with an "M" medallion.