It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired NWSL franchise rights from the Western New York Flash.

[12] On January 28, 2021, the club announced that professional tennis player Naomi Osaka had made an investment in the team.

[13] Osaka stated that she was inspired to take part ownership by those who had invested in her during her career, and that she wishes to "continue the legacy of women empowerment.

"[14] The Courage failed to qualify for the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup championship, falling one point short in the East Division to NJ/NY Gotham FC.

[15][16] On September 30, 2021, the club fired head coach Paul Riley after news of prior sexual abuse allegations emerged against him.

[23] In 2023, the Courage were on top of the league standings in July but finished the season in 3rd place, falling in the first round of the playoffs to eventual champions Gotham.

The badge features elements from the flag of North Carolina with both the star and the color scheme, the latter keeping in line with the NCFC brand.

The lower right point of the star represents the Research Triangle, a geographical region that includes Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh.

Money to build the soccer park came from $14.5 million in county-wide hotel room and prepared food and beverage taxes.

[30] On December 6, 2016, along with a name change, North Carolina FC announced plans for a housing and multi-use stadium development — originally announced as seating 24,000, then scaled down to 20,000 seats — in Raleigh, North Carolina, as part of the men's team's bid for a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise.

Team owner Stephen Malik and real-estate developer John Kane led investment in the proposal, purchasing 88 acres of land in 2019 and estimating the total project cost to be $1.9 billion.

[31][32][33] The MLS expansion bid was put on hold in 2021[34] along with the stadium plans as the COVID-19 pandemic consumed municipal funding.