Rhode Island FC to join 16 other USL Championship teams in 111th edition of historic tournament
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (Dec. 5, 2025) – On Thursday, U.S. Soccer released the schedule for the 111th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. 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.
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.
Rhode Island FC will join 16 other USL Championship clubs among a field of 48 professional teams, including 13 from USL League One, two from MLS Next Pro and 16 from Major League Soccer. Eligibility for professional teams was based on league standings in the 2025 regular season. Additionally, 32 amateur teams will take part in the tournament, including 10 clubs from USL League Two. The competition field is reduced from the 96-team slate in 2025, and the 111th edition will feature one fewer round than previous years to prevent conflicts with the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup schedule.
For the third consecutive year, the First Round will feature matchups exclusively between amateur and professional sides. 64 teams will kick off the competition from March 17-19, including all competing USL Championship and USL League One teams, and hosting priority and matchups will be determined via a random draw. The 32 winners will then pair up against each other in the Second Round from March 31-April 1. First and Second Round draws and schedule will be announced by U.S. Soccer in January.
The Round of 32 will see all 16 competing clubs from Major League Soccer enter the tournament. On April 2, a live draw will be held to set the remainder of the tournament bracket. Each MLS team entering the tournament at this stage will be randomly paired against one of the 16 winners from Round Two. The top eight MLS teams from the 2025 Supporters Shield Standings will enter as designated hosts and the remaining eight will enter as designated road teams.
From this stage, the 16 remaining teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket until four semifinalists remain in May. After a summer break, the tournament will resume with the semifinals from Sept. 15-16 and culminate with the U.S. Open Cup Final on Oct. 21.
Last season, Rhode Island FC picked up its first-ever U.S. Open Cup win, taking down USL League One newcomers Portland Hearts of Pine 2-1 on April 16 and becoming the first club to ever hand the Maine club a home defeat. It then took on the New England Revolution in the Round of 32, falling in a hard-fought 2-1 defeat on May 7 in its first-ever game against MLS competition. When RIFC kicks off its third U.S. Open Cup campaign in March, it will take on an amateur team in a competitive game for the first time as it hunts for a second-straight spot in the Round of 32.
2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule
| Round | Dates |
| First Round | March 17-19 |
| Second Round | March 31-April 1 |
| Round of 32 | April 14-15 |
| Round of 16 | April 28-29 |
| Quarterfinals | May 19-20 |
| Semifinals | Sept. 15-16 |
| Final | Oct. 21 |
USL Championship Clubs (Entering in First Round, eligibility based on 2025 league standings):
- Charleston Battery
- Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
- Detroit City FC
- El Paso Locomotive FC
- FC Tulsa
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Lexington SC
- Loudoun United FC
- Louisville City FC
- New Mexico United
- Orange County SC
- Phoenix Rising SC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Rhode Island FC
- Sacramento Republic FC
- San Antonio FC
USL League One Clubs (Entering in First Round, all teams that played in 2025 are eligible):
- AV Alta FC
- Charlotte Independance
- Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
- FC Naples
- Forward Madison FC
- Greenville Triumph SC
- One Knoxville SC
- Portland Hearts of Pine
- Richmond Kickers
- South Georgia Tormenta FC
- Spokane Velocity FC
- Union Omaha
- Westchester SC
USL League Two Clubs (Entering in First Round, eligibility based on league play/Qualifying Rounds):
- Steel City FC (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Asheville City SC (Asheville, N.C.)
- Des Moines Menace (Des Moines, Iowa)
- FC Motown (Morristown, N.J.)
- Flint City Bucks (Flint, Mich.)
- Laredo Heat SC (Laredo, Texas)
- Little Rock Rangers (Little Rock, Ark.)
- Northern Virginia FC (Leesburg, Va.)
- Ventura County Fusion (Ventura, Calif.)
- Vermont Green FC (Burlington, Vt.)
More information on the 2026 U.S. Open Cup format, schedule, eligibility requirements and competition field is available here.
For Rhode Island FC news and updates, visit rhodeislandfc.com, download the official team app, and follow the club on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
