2026 U.S. Open Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Dates | March 17 – October 21 |
| Teams | 80 |
The 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the 111th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer, organized by the United States Soccer Federation. It will involve 80 teams, including 48 teams from all three professional tiers of the United States soccer league system, and 32 amateur teams in the "Open Division". The competition begins on March 17 and culminates in the final on October 21.
The full format was announced on January 27, 2025. U.S. Soccer changed several elements of the contest, such as reducing the number of rounds by one, altering the qualifying requirements to ensure the highest-level professional team of a club enters the tournament as well as removing the National League qualifying track. Participation in the tournament is limited to teams that played a league season in 2025, removing new professional clubs from fielding a team.
Of the 27 American clubs in Major League Soccer, 16 will participate, with teams that did not qualify for either the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup or 2026 Leagues Cup. Being the only Division 1 league, all eligible MLS teams will enter in the round of 32 (third round). Depending on Supporter's Shield standings, one half of the MLS first team entrants will host their first matches, while the rest will begin with an away game. Because of the rule changes for this year, only two MLS Next Pro teams will appear in the competition (Carolina Core FC and Chattanooga FC). The USL Championship will send 17 of its teams, which includes all teams entered in the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs plus the next team outside of playoff consideration (North Carolina FC is not competing due to not fielding a team this year). These teams will enter the competition in the first round. USL League One will send their 13 eligible teams. Championship, League One, and Next Pro, along with the 32 Open Division teams, will enter in the first round.
Due to qualifying for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup the winner, Nashville SC, are unable to defend their title.