Jim Dedmon/USA Today Sports
MLS's 30-team picture is now complete.
Charlotte was awarded the league's latest expansion team on Tuesday and will join the league in 2021, a year before St. Louis and Sacramento round out the current, extended growth period.
Inter Miami and Nashville SC will join the league for the 2020 season, giving MLS 26 teams for its landmark 25th campaign. Charlotte's to-be-named franchise will accompany Austin FC into the league in 2021, ensuring that the league retains an equal number of franchises during each year of growth.
The Charlotte bid, headed by Carolina Panthers owner and billionaire David Tepper, paid a reported $325 million entry fee, by far the most of any team in league history.