U.S. Soccer Confirms Format, Schedule and Participants for 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
USL Charleston Battery

U.S. Soccer Confirms Format, Schedule and Participants for 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Published on December 4, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


The U.S. Soccer Federation announced Thursday the format, schedule and participating teams for the tournament proper of the 111th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which will run from mid-March until the Open Cup Final set for October 21.

In the 2026 Open Cup, the Charleston Battery will enter the tournament in the First Round, set for March 17-19, alongside 16 other USL Championship sides who qualified based on the 2025 regular season standings. The Battery will be paired against a team from the Open Division (amateur and semi-pro clubs) to kick off the tournament.

The 32 winners from the First Round will then face off in the Second Round on March 31-April 1. From there, the 16 teams that advance from the Second Round will face one of the 16 teams from Major League Soccer in the Round of 32 on April 14-15.

First and Second Round draws and schedules will be announced by U.S. Soccer in January. The draw for the Round of 32 will be held live on April 2, when the matchups and subsequent round pairings will be determined.

The remaining 32 teams will play down to a field of four semifinalists in May before the competition breaks until the semifinals on September 15-16. The Open Cup Final is slated for October 21.

A field of 80 total teams will contest for a $1 million purse and a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. CBS Sports returns as the multi-media rights partner for the Open Cup.

The U.S. Open Cup format will feature seven rounds - one fewer than recent editions - to avoid overlap with the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ happening this summer. The field of professional teams was reduced from 64 to 48, with slots for each professional division allocated as evenly as possible.

U.S. Soccer additionally announced two rule changes for the tournament.

First, a one-club, one-entry rule applies to all divisions. Under this rule, a professional club must enter its highest-level professional team. For the Open Division, the National League qualifying track was eliminated and all amateur teams are entered directly via U.S. Soccer.

Second, all numerical limits on the number of players that can be eligible for a competition roster have been removed across all divisions. All players from a club are eligible to participate, and players can be added up to one day prior to a match - subject to league and U.S. Soccer player registration regulations as well as competition eligibility rules related to cup-ties, length of loan and disciplinary action.

2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule

First Round: Tuesday, March 17 - Thursday, March 19

Second Round: Tuesday, March 31 - Wednesday, April 1

Round of 32: Tuesday, April 14 - Wednesday, April 15

Round of 16: Tuesday, April 28 - Wednesday, April 29

Quarterfinals: Tuesday, May 19 - Wednesday, May 20

Semifinals: Tuesday, Sept. 15 - Wednesday, Sept. 16

Final: Wednesday, October 21

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from December 4, 2025


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