Charlotte has already filed a letter of intent to bid, which is due in April. The bid is being prepared through a collaboration between the city of Charlotte, Charlotte Sports and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, also known as CRVA. A selection will happen before the start of the 2026 tournament.

“We view this bid not only as a chance to host the tournaments but as an opportunity to strengthen and renew the bond between the CIAA and the Charlotte community,” the CEO of CRVA Steve Bagwell said, according to Axios.

The CIAA is a Division II competition gathering HBCUs. Not only does it reunite thousands of basketball fans, but it also acts as a celebration of Black culture and HBCU pride.

“The CIAA Basketball Tournaments have always been more than games,” a press release stated, according to WCNC. “They represent a celebration of excellence, tradition, and opportunity.”

Hosting the conference also presents a promising economic opportunity. In 2019, the CIAA generated $43.7 million in economic impact and drew approximately 140,000 fans to Charlotte, per a press release. Although Charlotte is keeping most details of its bid under wraps, the city is home to two arenas: the Bojangles Coliseum and the Spectrum Center. The latter recently underwent the first round of $245 million renovations, Axios reported. It reopened in October with more upgrades on the way.

“We’ve got hard work to do with heavy loads to lift in order to defeat an incumbent like Baltimore, as well as other cities that are competing for the tournament,” Graham said, per Axios. “It has to be a very competitive proposal, and there’s some hurdles and questions that we have to answer locally to ensure that’s the case.”