Qualification for the 2025 tournament includes local qualifying matches contested by 114 amateur teams, fighting for 14 local qualifying slots, and is scheduled to take place in 2024. One team also qualified by winning the 2024 National Amateur Cup and one team qualified by winning the 2024 United Premier Soccer League Spring Championships.[1]
Qualification Procedure
Clubs based in the United States that play in a league that is an organization member of U.S. Soccer are generally eligible to compete for the U.S. Open Cup, so long as their league includes at least four teams and has a schedule of at least 10 matches for each club. To be eligible, teams must be members in good standing of their leagues on December 31, 2023, and remain so through the 2024 final. Any team that started its first season of competition in an existing league must have started its new league's schedule no later 30 days prior to the Open Division Entry Deadline.[2]
Starting in 2019, the winner of the previous year's National Amateur Cup automatically qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup.[3] The cup winner enters the tournament proper in the first round with the other local qualifiers. Beginning in 2024, the United Premier Soccer League Spring Champion also earned a direct entry into the first round proper of the tournament.[4] These two teams along with the 14 local qualifiers account for 16 of the 32 amateur teams that qualify for the tournament proper in 2025. The other 16 teams come from the National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two and qualify through national league pathways, which use previous summer season standings to determine who qualifies for the slots.[1]
Soda City FC defeated Inland Empire FC 3–2, to win the 2024 UPSL Spring Championships and earning a direct qualification into the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.[6]
Local qualifying
U.S. Soccer originally announced that 114 teams would participate in local qualifying. Four rounds of local qualifying matches will result in 14 clubs advancing to the tournament proper. The teams will be organize into 14 regional pools prior to the qualifying round draw[1]
Schedule
Schedule for 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifying[2]
Round
Match day
New Teams
Entrants
Teams entered to date
First Qualifying Round
October 5 & 6
16
16
16
Second Qualifying Round
October 5 & 6, October 26 & 27
92
100
108
Third Qualifying Round
October 26 & 27, November 16 & 17
6
56
114
Fourth Qualifying Round
November 16 & 17, December 7 & 8
0
28
114
Number of teams by state and league
A total of 25 states and the District of Columbia are represented by clubs in the U.S. Open Cup Qualification this year.[1]
Acoreano Sport, Bay Valley Suns Sports Club, City SC San Diego, FC Balboa, FC Folsom, Independente Los Angeles Futbol Club, Irvine FC, Laguna United FC, Napa Valley 1839 FC, Real Galt FC, San Diego Internacional, Trojans FC, Valley 559 FC
City Soccer FC, Deportivo Lake Mary FC, Harbor City FC, Hodler Miami FC, International Soccer Association, Kissimmee Soccer Club, Miami United FC, Palm Beach Flames SC, Pinecrest Premier SC
6
United States Soccer League
Atletico Miami Internacional FC, FC America CFL Spurs, Inter Nona Soccer Club, Miami Soccer Academy, O'Shea's FC, River Miami FC
States without a team in the Open Cup Qualification: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Draw
On September 18, 2024, USSF completed the draw for the initial qualifying rounds. The 114 entrants were divided into 14 geographical groups with a goal to decrease travel. Match ups, byes and home teams in each geographical group were determined by random selection. In order to reach the 14 teams that will qualify for the tournament proper, only eight matches in the first qualifying round. 92 teams received byes to the second qualifying round and six teams received byes to the third qualifying round. Seven of the qualifying groups will cones their second round matches on October 5 & 6 completing their qualifying tournament on November 15 & 16, while the other seven groups have first round games on October 5 & 6, completing their qualifying tournament on December 7 & 8.[7]
California North - Bay Valley Suns Sports Club, FC Folsom, JASA RWC, Modesto City Football Club, Napa Valley 1839 FC, Valley 559 FC
California South - City SC San Diego , FC Balboa, Irvine FC, Laguna United FC, San Diego Internacional, Trojans FC
DMV - Aegean Hawks FC, Alexandria Reds, DC Hyper, Guerrilla FC, Patuxent FA, MSI Pro, Virginia Dream FC
East - Bowling Green FC, Dalton United, Mint Hill FC, Pre-College Development Academy, South Carolina United Heat, Southern Indiana FC, Southern Indiana Guardians FC, Valhalla FC
Florida - Deportivo Lake Mary FC, FC America CFL Spurs, Harbor City FC, Hurricane FC, Inter Nona Soccer Club, International Soccer Association, Kissimmee Soccer Club, Miami United FC, Naples United U23, O'Shea's FC, Palm Beach Flames SC, Pinecrest Premier SC, Red Force, River Miami FC
Mid Atlantic - Alloy Soccer Club, Maryland Bobcats II, New Jersey Alliance FC, Nova FC, Oaklyn United FC, SC Vistula Garfield, Steel Pulse FC, VA Revolution Pro
Midwest A - Chicago Strikers, United SC, Wisloka Chicago
Midwest B - FC Bartlesville Buffaloes, Tulsa Athletic, Woodland Football Club
New York - Central Park Rangers FC, KidSuper Samba AC, Lansdowne Yonkers FC, Leros SC, New York Greek American SC, NY Empire FC, NY Renegades FC, Zum Schneider FC 03
Northeast A - Boston Street FC, CD Faialense, FC Omens, Project Football
Northeast B - FCY New York, Pittsburgh Dynamo, Roc City Boom
Pennsylvania - Colonial SC, Kensington Soccer Club, Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals, United German Hungarians, Vereinigung Erzgebirge, Vidas United FC, West Chester United SC
Texas - 210 FC, ASC New Stars, Austin Thunder, D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club, Houston Regals SCA, StrikerZ DFW Soccer Club
West A - Deportivo Rose City, Holac FC, Sharktopus Football Club
West B - Las Vegas Legends FC, Next Level Soccer, Soccer Academy Nevada, UDA Soccer
Second Qualifying Round
Seven groups will hold their second qualifying round matches on Oct. 5 & 6, and the other seven groups will hold their second qualifying round matches on October 27 & 28. Six clubs will get second qualifying round byes.[7][9]
Seven groups will hold their third qualifying round matches on Oct. 26 & 27, and the other seven groups will hold their third qualifying round matches on November 16 & 17[7][10]
