Rhode Island FC to Host CD Faialense in First Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
USL Rhode Island FC

Rhode Island FC to Host CD Faialense in First Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Published on January 27, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


PAWTUCKET, R.I. - U.S. Soccer announced today that Rhode Island FC will host amateur club CD Faialense in the First Round of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. at Centreville Bank Stadium. The matchup, which was one of 32 First Round fixtures announced by U.S. Soccer, will mark RIFC's first-ever game against amateur competition, and will be streamed live on U.S. Soccer's Youtube Channel. Ticket information for the game will be released soon.

Rhode Island FC will embark on its third U.S. Open Cup campaign in 2026 after making its farthest run in the tournament in 2025, advancing to the Round of 32. After earning its first-ever win in the competition, a gritty 2-1 victory at USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine on April 15, 2025, the Ocean State club fell in a hard-fought 2-1 defeat to Major League Soccer club New England Revolution in the Round of 32 on May 7 to conclude its 2025 cup run.

CD Faialense, who is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and competes in the Bay State Soccer League, made club history when it qualified for the Open Cup for the first time ever in 2025, falling 4-0 to Portland Hearts of Pine in the First Round. It secured qualification to the historic tournament for the second-straight year on Nov. 24, 2025 after a commanding 5-2 win over United Premier Soccer League club FC Lonestar in the qualifying rounds. Its First Round clash with RIFC is a throwback to the ethnic teams of old that ruled the Open Cup in the years between World War II and the founding of Major League Soccer in 1996.

The U.S. Open Cup is the only competition in USA-based team sports where amateurs have the chance to play professionals in direct competition. It is the oldest active professional soccer tournament in the country and the third-longest continuously run national cup competition in the world. Conducted on a single-game, knockout basis, the tournament has crowned a champion every year since 1914, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The first-ever Final of the tournament took place at Coats Field in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1914, and RIFC's Round of 32 matchup in 2025 marked the first time in more than 80 years the tournament returned to the Ocean State.

The 2026 edition of the historic tournament, which will host an 80-team field of amateur and professional competition, will kick off with the First Round from March 17-19, 2026 and conclude with the Final on Oct. 21, 2026. Rhode Island FC will join 16 other USL Championship teams participating in the tournament, which features a $1 million prize and a berth in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup for the winner.

For Rhode Island FC news and updates, visit rhodeislandfc.com, subscribe to RIFC's monthly newsletter, follow the club on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, X and LinkedIn, and download the official team app.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from January 27, 2026


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