The US Open Cup is a truly unique event in American soccer. It’s a tournament that spans teams from the amateur level to pro clubs with World Cup champions on the roster. In fact, 155 amateur teams vie for the 32 Open Division spots to eventually face off against semi-pro and professional teams. MLS limited its participation in recent years as the league focused on building its international competition schedule with LigaMX but will return with all 27 of its USA based teams for the 2027 edition of the cup.
Next year, the tournament will start in April and conclude on December 15, 2027. The winner will take home a $1million prize, the biggest in the history of the Open Cup. Commenting on the new format, Dan Helfrich, U.S. Soccer Chief Operating Officer, said, “when you bring various levels of the soccer community together, you create a connected, competitive environment that moves the sport forward and gives fans the drama of knockout soccer. Along with MLS, USL and all of the Member Organizations represented in the Open Division, the U.S. Open Cup reflects our shared commitment to strengthen the future of the game in this country.”
While the tournament is subject to much discussion, it hasn’t always been a significant draw in terms of viewers and fans. MLS teams typically start bench players and often hold matches at training fields, college stadiums, and otherwise give it less importance than league matches. The new format does move games that bring in MLS teams into the summer when they will be starting their summer to spring schedule change for the year. It will be interesting to see how and if that changes the ways teams treat the tournament going forward.
