2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Amateur Qualifying Details Announced

As we are just about to finish up the Quarterfinal Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the next stage to begin the 2026 edition of the tournament will begin very shortly this coming fall, as a long list of Amateur teams will attempt to go on a run through four rounds of Qualifying to reach the proper tournament in the opening round.

Not only will we see those sides play in regional qualifiers, but also secure automatic spots for clubs that win the USASA Championship Tournament, the spring Season Champion of the UPSL (United Premier Soccer League), and those automatic spots from the NPSL (National Premier Soccer League) and USL League Two short seasons.

There will be 32 bids available for these two divisions. The 16 amateur qualifiers will compete, and the other 16 will be allocated to clubs in the NPSL and USL League 2, with those clubs receiving automatic bids. There will be new changes to how certain clubs will be allowed to participate in the 2026 US Open Cup. There are details from US Soccer and its Open Cup Committee.

Beginning with the 2026 competition, all teams will enter directly via the U.S. Soccer Federation, eliminating the National League qualifying track, which was utilized by NPSL and USL League Two to send teams into the Tournament Proper for the past decade.

In place of the National League qualifying track, the U.S. Open Cup will now allocate byes into the Tournament Proper to high-performing teams from select competitions. Teams from the former National League qualifying track that do not receive a bye will be eligible to enter via the Qualifying Rounds.

For the Amateur teams who wish to enter, qualification registration is now open until Monday, August 4th, on their section of the US Soccer website at usopencup.com . The slot allocations for both the Amateur and Open Divisions will now be allocated as follows, with these new rules and descriptions from US Soccer.

AMATEUR QUALIFYING: 16 slots to teams advancing via the Qualifying Rounds, an increase from 14 slots in 2025 and the most-ever slots available via this qualifying track.

DETAILS: The Open Division Entry Period for the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will begin on Tuesday, July 8, and close on Monday, August 4, 2025.

The Match Windows for the Fall 2025 Qualifying Rounds of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will begin in September and conclude in November of 2025.

Most teams will begin their Open Cup journey on one of the first two qualifying round dates, depending on the final number of entries and rounds required to reach a field of 16 teams that will advance to the Tournament Proper in 2026.

QUALIFYING ROUND MATCH DATES: Round 1: September 13th & 14th, 2025, Round 2: October 11th & 12th, 2025, Round 3: November 1st & 2nd, 2025, Round 4: November 23rd & 24th, 2025.

OPEN DIVISION: Here are the 16 designations for the Open Division clubs for clubs in USL League Two, NPSL, UPSL, the National Amateur Champion, and a new slot that US Soccer has established for this tournament and future tournaments from here on out.

USL LEAGUE 2 & NPSL: 13 slots for the 2025 National Leagues, NPSL, and USL League Two, prorated based on team membership for the 2026 season.
UPSL: 1 slot for the 2025 UPSL Spring Champion
USASA: 1 slot for the 2025 USASA National Amateur Cup Champion
NEW DESIGNATION: 1 SLOT FOR THE 2025 JOHN MOTTA TROPHY WINNER

The U.S. Soccer Federation Adult Council has established the John Motta Trophy to be presented annually to the Open Division team that receives the prize money as the Open Division team that advances the furthest in the U.S. Open Cup. 

El Farolito, the winner of the $50,000 prize in 2025, will be the first team presented with the John Motta Trophy. Based on the 2026 Open Division format, El Farolito will also receive a bye into the Tournament Proper of the 2026 U.S. Open Cup.

The trophy is named for John Motta, who has been a long-serving member of the soccer community in the United States. Currently a member of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors, Motta previously served as U.S. Adult Soccer Association President from 2014-2024, New Hampshire Soccer Association president from 1988-1998, and as U.S. Soccer Vice President from 1998-2000.

The tireless work that John Motta has done for the Amateur soccer community has truly been recognized by the Adult Council and by US Soccer as a whole, showing how much this man has been loved and respected by the many lives of amateur players who put their bodies on the line playing the world’s favorite game in the United States.

To award El Farolito as the inaugural recipients of the John Motta Trophy and an automatic bid to the 2026 edition of the Open Cup as the furthest lower division side who reached the third round against the Sacramento Republic of this current edition shows why they continue to be one of the best open division clubs in the Bay Area, the entire state of California and the nation at this level.

Once the calendar moves on toward the fall, the start of a brand new edition of the US Open Cup begins, and the opportunity for 16 amateur teams will knock each other out, while 15 open division squads will also get ready for their participation, along with El Farolito to get to the First Round proper of the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.