Why Cartagena?
T H E N E X T C H A P T E R
Cartagena is where we go next. To our AIA Members, Event Producers, Clubs, Coaches, Athletes and Families, Last week, we officially announced that the second AIA Global Tournament will take place November 26–28, 2027, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
The response has been incredible.
Now we want to tell you more about why we chose Cartagena — and what you can expect when the All Star world arrives in Colombia.
Selecting the next home of the AIA Global Tournament was about much more than
finding a competition venue. We needed a destination capable of welcoming thousands of international visitors.
We wanted strong tourism and hotel infrastructure, accessibility, affordability, major event experience, security planning, cultural significance and a local community prepared to welcome our sport.
Cartagena met those requirements in full.
But we also discovered something even more meaningful. Cartagena isn’t simply where we’re going next. Cartagena is part of where international cheerleading in South America began.
0 1 / T H E D E S T I N AT I O N
A destination ready for the world. Cartagena is one of the Caribbean’s most established international tourism destinations.
5.5M arriving visitors through Nov. 2025
10,000+ hotel rooms
80+ event venues
The city welcomed approximately 5.5 million arriving visitors by air, land and cruise through November 2025, while its tourism infrastructure includes more than 10,000 hotel rooms, four major convention centers and more than 80 traditional and non-traditional event venues.
Its ability to accommodate large international sporting events is already proven.
IRONMAN 70.3 Cartagena. Has called the city home since 2016.
Gran Fondo Nairo Quintana Cartagena Fest The 2026 event brought together more than 8,500 participants from 23 countries, including approximately 7,000 cyclists.
Media Maratón del Mar Has hosted approximately 9,000 runners, demonstrating the city’s ability to move, accommodate and entertain thousands of participants and visitors during major sporting events. Cartagena isn’t preparing to become an international event destination. It already is one.
A city investing in its future.
The Cartagena that welcomes AIA in 2027 will also be a city experiencing significant investment in its future.
COP $887 billion.
Roughly US$242 million is supporting the modernization and expansion of Rafael Núñez International Airport, including more than 25,000 square meters of renovation and expansion.
The airport served approximately 7.7 million passengers in 2025, making it an essential international gateway to Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Additional public investment is being directed toward roads, transportation, coastal areas, public spaces and tourism infrastructure throughout Cartagena.
For AIA, that matters.
We aren’t selecting a destination based only on what exists today. We are looking at where a city is going and whether its vision aligns with ours.
0 3 / T H E E X P E R I E N C E
More experience. More value.
Cartagena also provides something increasingly important to international families: value. The strength of major international currencies against the Colombian peso can provide significant purchasing power for many visiting delegations. That creates opportunities for AIA and our hospitality partners to build a full-service
experience. For 2027, we are developing a more integrated resort-style, one-stop
Tournament experience.
Our goal is for the AIA experience to begin when you arrive — not when you walk into the competition venue. Host hotels, transportation, Tournament activities, cultural experiences, competition and hospitality will be designed as parts of one connected experience from arrival through departure.
We listened to Montréal.
Our inaugural Tournament in Montréal gave us something invaluable: Experience. It also gave us feedback. We heard what attendees loved, and we heard clearly where we needed to improve. Communication. Scheduling. Processes. Education surrounding the Tournament format. Transportation.
The overall participant journey.
Those lessons are already influencing Cartagena.
We are keeping what made Montréal special — the countries, flags, cultural exchange, international friendships, Parade of Nations and the feeling of competing for something bigger than a traditional weekend championship. But Tournament #2 must be better than Tournament #1. That is the responsibility that comes with growth.
Why this city means something to our sport.
There is another reason Cartagena felt right. History. Cartagena was home to the first South American qualifying event to The Cheerleading Worlds, creating an early pathway between South American athletes and international All Star competition. Major cheerleading competitions were being held in Cartagena by at least 2007. Those events eventually grew to include hundreds of teams, international judges and thousands of spectators.
At the center of that movement was Vladimir Castrillón Blanco, longtime President of the Colombian Cheerleading Federation and an international pioneer in the development of cheerleading throughout Colombia and Latin America. Many leaders from our sport — past and present — traveled to Cartagena, participated in its competitions, supported its events and collaborated with Vladimir and the Colombian cheer community.
That makes 2027 particularly special. Twenty years ago, athletes traveled to Cartagena looking for an opportunity to reach the world.
Twenty years later, the world is coming to Cartagena.
Opening the borders of All Star.
90+ qualifying events.
17 countries. One destination.
More than 90 qualifying events across 17 countries will award invitations to the next AIA Global Tournament. Think about what that means. Teams from different continents, languages, cultures and competitive systems will spend the next year earning the opportunity to meet in one place. Cartagena, Colombia.
This is exactly why AIA committed to a rotating Global Tournament. We do not believe an international championship should simply have the word “international” in its name. It should travel internationally. Montréal was the beginning. Cartagena takes us into another hemisphere, another continent and another culture. And after Cartagena, the journey continues.
AIA GLOBAL TOURNAMENT
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
November 26–28, 2027
NOV 26 - FRIDAY
Seed Round + Opening Ceremonies & Parade of Nations
NOV 27 - SATURDAY
Tournament Competition
NOV 28 - SUNDAY
Tournament Competition + Global Championships
The road has officially begun.
Over the coming months, we will begin releasing information regarding official
venues, host hotels, travel packages, transportation, qualification, registration, cultural experiences and the 2027 Parade of Nations. For those who joined us in Montréal: thank you for helping us build the first
chapter. For those preparing to join us for the first time: Get ready. The road to Cartagena has officially begun.
TWENTY YEARS LATER,
THE WORLD RETURNS.
Jibreel Rayam
President
AIA Tournament Inc.
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