US to host Military World Games for the first time ever
FIRST ON FOX: The 2027 Military World Games will be played in Charlotte, North Carolina, marking the first time the event has ever been hosted in the United States.
The last Military World Games took place in Wuhan, China, in October 2019, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted from that very city, putting the event on ice for what will be an eight-year hiatus.
When the games return in 2027, it will come right in the middle of two major international sporting events that are also set to play in the U.S. – the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
President Donald Trump will preside over each of the events, and while he played a role in bringing the World Cup and Olympics to America in his first term, he has his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to thank for giving the approval of the Military World Games for North Carolina, according to the event's co-chair Eli Bremer.
Bremer told Fox News Digital that Hegseth gave the final approval for the U.S. to host the games.
"His vision for the U.S. military, creating warriors, aligns so precisely with the U.S. military engaging in elite sporting," Bremer said. "I think this aligns extremely well with the new leadership in the military. I think it's a tremendous opportunity for the U.S. military to attract amazing talent into it that aligns with the leadership of Secretary Hegseth and all the way down the Trump administration."
Bremer, a major in the Air Force Reserve Command and former modern pentathlete who competed in the 2008 Olympics, recalled his experience competing with athletes from some of America's notable military adversaries in past Military World Games, and believes the 2027 event can help opposing sides humanize each other amid geopolitical tensions.
"As a young officer in the Air Force, I had contact with Iranians and North Koreans who were at those sporting events, so it gave Americans a chance to kind of make contacts with other countries and to show them we're real people," Bremer said.
The games are organized by the International Military Sports Council (CISM) the world's second-largest multidiscipline sports organization, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
CISM President Nilton Romil of Brazil told Fox News Digital that there were barriers to bringing the games to the U.S., but the committee powered through a "competitive" process to get it done in America, citing the symbolic importance of global peacekeeping.
"Barriers included the complexity of hosting such a large-scale international event for the first time on U.S. soil. Navigating security, diplomatic protocols, and ensuring infrastructure met CISM standards was key. However, shared commitment and vision made success possible," Romil said.
"The significance is historic. Western allies have long been active members of CISM, and the U.S. has supported the mission from the beginning. Now, hosting the Games on American soil extends a clear message: the West is committed to global peace and unity, not just through strategic alliances, but through shared human values.
"By hosting the Games, the USA is demonstrating leadership in promoting peaceful international military engagement beyond defense cooperation—through athletics, cultural exchange, and global solidarity."
Three of the last four MWGs were hosted in BRICS nations, with China hosting in 2019, Brazil hosting in 2011 and India hosting in 2007. By coming to the U.S., the event will be hosted in a G7 nation for the first time since it was hosted in Italy in 2003.
For many Americans who are both veterans and former athletes, the 2027 games will mark a proud milestone.
Former U.S. Olympian Chad Senior, who competed in the 2004 and 2000 Summer Olympics in modern pentathlon, and served in the Iraq War and Afghanistan War as an Army special forces veteran, told Fox News Digital that the games will come at an important time, as he sees the military in the U.S. becoming more "partisan."
"Policies in this administration are changing, and I don't think people are in the middle of it, they're either solidly against it or solidly embrace it," Senior said.
"Will it change people's minds? I don't know. I think that's why they have these World Military Games. Any time that different miliaries can get together in a friendly environment of sports versus on the battlefield I think is a positive thing for all of us."
Former U.S. Senator from Colorado Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and served in the Air Force, celebrated the selection of Charlotte for the next MWG.
"I was thrilled to hear that the World Military Games are coming to the United States. As one who served our country in the Air Force during the Korean War and represented our country on the judo mats at the 1964 Olympic Games, I believe there is a direct correlation between the discipline and dedication required to be an elite athlete or member of an elite fighting force and competition always pushes both to higher levels of performance," Campbell told Fox News Digital.
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