Chase for Coveted Spots in 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Continues this Weekend During Third Qualifying Round
Slate of 32 Games in Penultimate Qualifying Round to Take Place November 1-2
ATLANTA (October 30, 2025) – Sixty-four teams enter November with the dream of reaching the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup still alive. That group will be halved by the end of this weekend’s Third Qualifying Round, which features 32 games including teams representing 22 states as well as the District of Columbia.
For the second consecutive year, the 2026 U.S. Open Cup Tournament Proper will include 32 Open Division teams, with 16 of those squads earning their way via four Qualifying Rounds taking place throughout Fall of 2025. The 16 spots awarded to teams from the Qualifying Rounds are the most ever available via this qualifying track, up two from last year’s 14 allocations.
The Third Qualifying Round commences Saturday afternoon with the squad that earned the round’s final slot on Tuesday night, Sharktopus FC, in a Seattle area showdown against a Ballard FC side aiming for their third straight appearance in the Tournament Proper. The day’s 13-game slate also includes two of the round’s six intra-Sunshine State tilts, including a battle for Lake Worth Lagoon bragging rights between Palm Beach Flames SC and City Soccer FC.
Saturday ends with four “Open Cup After Dark” clashes out west, including intriguing SoCal contests in Orange County (Irvine FC vs. Laguna United FC) and “America’s Finest City” (San Diego Internacional vs. City SC San Diego).
The Sunday slate contains 19 regional rows from coast to coast. Play begins with 2025 Open Cup participant Harpos FC continuing their trek back to the Tournament Proper in suburban Denver against Azteca FC -- and progresses during the late afternoon with games from Northern Georgia (Potros FC vs. Atletico Buford) to the Windy City (Chicago House AC vs. Edgewater Castle FC) to the Bay Area (The Olympic Club vs. Ariana FC).
Nine games constitute a crowded 7 p.m. ET window that includes an Orlando derby (Emerald FC Orlando vs. FC America CFL Spurs), an NYC Metro fixture on the East River (Zum Schneider FC vs. Metropolitan Oval Academy at Jack McManus Field) and a trio of tilts in South Florida (Badgers FC vs. O’Shea’s FC, Miami United FC vs. Florida Futbol Club, and Miami Soccer Academy vs. Red Force). The round continues with perhaps its most stylish match-up in suburban D.C. between Virgina Dream FC and Guerilla FC and closes out in the nation’s heartland with Omaha Street FC hosting BOHFS St. Louis.
On the heels of this weekend’s results, U.S. Soccer will next week announce the pairings for the Fourth Qualifying Round, set to take place November 22-23. After those matches take place, the record 145-team Qualifying field will be whittled down to the final 16 survivors, who will join the full field of 32 Open Division participants that will take part in next spring’s First Round of the 2026 Tournament Proper.
Fans of the Cup can visit usopencup.com for Qualifying Round scores and schedules as play progresses.
Home teams listed first, and venues are subject to change;
Match details to be updated at www.usopencup.com as they are confirmed
Saturday, Nov. 1
Akron City FC vs. Croatia Cleveland | Green Street Stadium at St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.; Akron, Ohio | 3 p.m. ET
Ballard FC vs. Sharktopus FC | Interbay Stadium; Seattle, Wash. | 12 p.m. PT
Brockton FC United vs. CD Faialense | Roberts Playground; Boston, Mass. | 6 p.m. ET
Briar United FC vs. Grove United | Pleasant Park; Apex, N.C. | 7 p.m. ET
Harbor City FC vs. Bold City SC | Palm Bay H.S.; Melbourne, Fla. | 7 p.m. ET
MSI Pro vs. Christos FC | Maryland Soccer Plex; Boyds, Md. | 7 p.m. ET
NY Renegades FC vs. Lansdowne Yonkers FC | SUSA Orlin & Cohen Sports Complex; Central Islip, N.Y. | 7:45 p.m. ET
Palm Beach Flames SC vs. City Soccer FC | Dr. Joaquín Garcia H.S.; Willington, Fla. | 7:45 p.m. ET
Dallas Atletico vs. Denton Diablos | Bishop Lynch H.S.; Dallas, Texas | 7 p.m. CT
Irvine FC vs. Laguna United FC | Lake Forest Sports Park; Lake Forest, Calif. | 5 p.m. PT
Next Level Soccer vs. UDA Soccer | Highley H.S.; Gilbert, Ariz. | 7 p.m. MST
Valley 559 FC vs. FC Folsom | Keith Tice Park; Fresno, Calif. | 7 p.m. PT
San Diego Internacional vs. City SC San Diego | Mission Bay H.S.; San Diego, Calif. | 8 p.m. PT
Sunday. Nov. 2
Harpos FC vs. Azteca FC | Broomfield Commons; Broomfield, Colo. | 12 p.m. MT
Steel City FC vs. Capital City Islanders | Rooney Field at Duquesne University; Pittsburgh, Pa. | 3 p.m. ET
Potros FC vs. Atletico Buford FC | Marietta H.S.; Marietta, Ga. | 5 p.m. ET
The Olympic Club vs. Ariana FC | San Francisco Glens Stadium; San Francisco, Calif. | 2:30 p.m. PT
Chicago House AC vs. Edgewater Castle FC | Benedictine University; Lisle, Ill. | 5 p.m. CT
Oaklyn United FC vs. Vereinigung Erzgebirge Majors | Rowan University Soccer Stadium; Glassboro, N.J. | 6 p.m. ET
Atletico Boston vs. FC Lonestar Gpse | Moakley Stadium; Boston, Mass. | 7 p.m. ET
Badgers FC vs. O’Shea’s FC | Broward College – South Campus.; Pembroke Pines, Fla. | 7 p.m. ET
Bulldogs SC vs. SC Vistula Garfield | Capelli Sports Complex; Tinton Falls, N.J. | 7 p.m. ET
Emerald FC Orlando vs. FC America CFL Spurs | Lake Mary H.S. Stadium; Lake Mary, Fla. | 7 p.m. ET
Kalonji Pro-Profile vs. Mint Hill FC | Shiloh H.S.; Snellville, Ga. | 7 p.m. ET
Miami Soccer Academy vs. Red Force | Monsignor Pace H.S.; Miami Gardens, Fla. | 7 p.m. ET
Miami United FC vs. Florida Futbol Club | Central Broward Park; Lauderhill, Fla. | 7 p.m. ET
Tennessee United Soccer Club vs. Southern Indiana FC | Station Camp H.S.; Gallatin, Tenn. | 6 p.m. CT
Zum Schneider FC vs. Metropolitan Oval Academy | Jack McManus Field; New York, N.Y. | 7 p.m. ET
201 FC vs. ASC New Stars | Cibolo Multi-Event Center; Cibolo, Texas | 7:30 p.m. CT
Virgina Dream FC vs. Guerrilla FC | Meridian H.S.; Falls Church, Va. | 8 p.m. ET
International San Francisco vs. San Ramon FC | James P. Lang Soccer Field; San Francisco, Calif. | 5:15 p.m. PT
Omaha Street FC vs. BOHFS St. Louis | Blackburn H.S.; Omaha, Neb. | 7:30 p.m. CT
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The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned U.S. Soccer’s national champion since 1914. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and is open to professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S. was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt. The 2026 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn a berth in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. Nashville SC of MLS is the defending U.S. Open Cup Champion. The 110th edition of the tournament concluded on October 1, 2025, with NSC defeating Austin FC to claim the Tennessee club’s first piece of major silverware.
The official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is ussoccer.com/us-open-cup. Fans can also follow the competition on X/Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.