#SPORTSWATCH

Upcoming events in Greater Raleigh, N.C.:

• Nike Cross Regionals Southeast, WakeMed Soccer Park Cross Country Course, Cary • Nov. 22  
• visitRaleigh.com Girls College Showcase, WRAL Soccer Park and multiple sites • Dec. 5-7
• NCHSAA Cheerleading Invitational, Raleigh Convention Center • Dec. 6
• visitRaleigh.com Boys College Showcase, WRAL Soccer Park and multiple sites • Dec. 12-14
• NCAA Men's College Cup, WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary • Dec. 12 and 15
• Raleigh PPA Challenger, Pin Point Raleigh • Dec. 13-15
• John Wall Holiday Invitational, Broughton High School and William Peace University • Dec. 26-30 

View our full 2025 calendar, here!

Recent travel:

• Sports ETA 4S Summit, Annapolis, Md.
  • Sept. 23-25, 2025
• TEAMS Conference & Expo 
  • Oct. 13-16, 2025

Upcoming travel:

• United Soccer Coaches Convention, Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Jan. 14-17, 2026
• Sports ETA Chief Executive Summit, Columbus, Ohio
  • Jan. 26-28, 2026
     

NCAA Men’s College Cup ticket offer

• Holiday discounts are now available for the 2025 NCAA Men’s College Cup, set for Dec. 12 and 15 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary
• Tickets are $10 for each session and can be purchased here by utilizing the code "DEAL"
• The NCAA Holideals offer is only available Nov. 17-Dec. 1
   

The Soccer Tournament (TST) is extended in Cary through 2029

TST, in partnership with the Town of Cary, announced a new long-term agreement that will keep the world’s premier 7v7 soccer festival at WakeMed Soccer Park through 2029. The partnership is supported by a grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund, recognizing TST’s impact in driving visitors, driving local spending and showcasing North Carolina on the global stage. The fund will reimburse eligible in-state expenses up to $6.8 million over the duration of the agreement. Read more, here.

Greater Raleigh featured in Sports Business Journal

Greater Raleigh is featured prominently in the Nov. 10 issue of Sports Business Journal. The cover story is titled, “Taking Shape … How the Triangle market has quietly become a sports business powerhouse.” Raleigh, Cary and Wake County are showcased as one of America’s premier destinations for sporting events. Read more.

Championship soccer season in Greater Raleigh   

Fall is here and that means nonstop soccer for our region. Several major youth and collegiate soccer events are being held in Nov. and Dec., including NCFC Youth’s visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series, the ACC Women’s and Men’s Soccer Championships and the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship (College Cup). Combined, these events are expected to generate more than $31 million in direct economic impact throughout Wake County and the surrounding area.

The soccer takeover kicked off with the ACC Women’s Soccer Championship (Nov. 6 and 9). Stanford edged out Notre Dame to claim the program's first ACC title (5-4 in penalties). The following week, the ACC Men's Soccer Championship (Nov. 13 and 16) featured a final matchup between Virginia and SMU. WakeMed Soccer Park hosted both conference tournaments.

The largest youth sporting event in the Triangle, the visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series, is now underway and runs over four weekends in Nov. and Dec. Hosted by NCFC Youth, the annual tournament attracts more than 1,500 teams from across the country, along with hundreds of college coaches for recruiting purposes. To accommodate the number of teams competing each weekend, matches are played at the headquarters venue, WRAL Soccer Park, plus multiple sites throughout the region.  

Finally, the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship returns to Cary to cap off this incredible stretch of soccer on Dec. 12 and 15, further cementing the Triangle as a premier destination for elite competition. 

Raleigh, N.C., hosts a trio of national governing body (NGB) events this fall 

Greater Raleigh is emerging as a dynamic hub for NGB programming, where innovation meets inclusion and strategic leadership. This fall, the destination hosted a trio of events that reflect the evolving landscape of sport. Each event, while distinct in its focus, shares a common thread: advancing sport through new formats, thoughtful governance and expanded access for athletes of all abilities. These events included:

• USA Boccia Southeast Regional Tournament, Oct. 17-19, 2025, at Raleigh Convention Center
• USA Climbing: Climb With the Pros, Oct. 24, 2025, at Triangle Rock Club - Salvage Yard
• WBSC eBaseball™ Series World Finals, Nov. 8-9, 2025, at N.C. State Gaming and Esports Lab

North Carolina State University to host C3 Esports' 2025 Carolina Collegiate Clash Fall Championship 

The biggest collegiate esports clash in the Carolinas is heading to Raleigh. C3 Esports and North Carolina State University’s (NCSU's) esports program are thrilled to announce that the 2025 Carolina Collegiate Clash Fall Championship will be hosted at NCSU’s state-of-the-art Gaming and Esports Lab on Centennial Campus. The high-stakes Rocket League tournament will take place Nov. 22-23, featuring the premier collegiate programs from participating schools throughout N.C. and S.C.

The two-day championship will see the region's elite collegiate teams battling for prize money and the title of Fall Champion. The tournament is the culmination of a fierce qualifying season, which draws over 40 collegiate players from approximately 14 university programs and clubs. Learn more, here.

SAS Championship celebrates 25 Years in Cary

Cary’s golf scene shined this October as the SAS Championship celebrated its 25th anniversary at Prestonwood Country Club. From rolling greens to roaring crowds, thousands of fans gathered Oct. 6-12 to watch six World Golf Hall of Famers, 12 major championship winners and top PGA Tour Champions players compete in one of the most anticipated events on the schedule.

Visit Raleigh introduces Wander App to encourage outdoor adventures

Outdoor adventure seekers and casual explorers alike now have a new way to explore the beauty and breadth of the area with the launch of the Wander Wake County official map on the Wander app. The free, easy-to-use mobile app highlights the destination’s extensive network of more than 300 miles of greenways and trails and over 138,000 acres of open space land.

The county-wide initiative centralizes data between the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh), Triangle Trails Initiative (TTI) and parks departments throughout Wake County, aimed at delivering an integrated trail mapping experience that helps residents and visitors explore and enjoy our beautiful public spaces, alongside local businesses and other community amenities. Users can utilize the new interactive map to search and save areas of interest and create park itineraries across Wake County.

Visit Raleigh incorporated its hospitality partner listing data alongside the trail information into this countywide map. Participating partners that added and are updating trails are Wake County, Town of Cary, Town of Zebulon, Town of Wake Forest and Town of Apex. They are providing open data for the app to enhance the user experience in those municipalities. All trails within Wake County municipalities are included in the app, utilizing available open data. Learn more about the app, here.