Rising will enter the tournament in the First Round, set to kick off in mid-March
U.S. Soccer today announced the format, schedule and participating teams for the 111th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Phoenix Rising will compete in the competition for the 11th time in club history, joining the competition in the First Round.
The club qualified for the tournament as one of 17 USL Championship teams. Last season, the club defeated eventual USL Championship runners-up FC Tulsa in penalties to advance to the Round of 32, where it took MLS side Houston Dynamo FC to added time.
“It’s always special to play in the U.S. Open Cup,” Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “It’s one of the oldest cups in the U.S. and when you win the cup, it means you’re the best team in the country.”
Rising joins a field of 80 teams that will contest for a $1 million purse with a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup also up for grabs. CBS Sports will return as the multi-media rights partner for the 2026 competition. The 2026 U.S. Open Cup format will feature seven rounds – one fewer than recent editions – to avoid overlap with the FIFA Men’s World Cup™ calendar.
Because the competition features one fewer round than recent editions, the field of professional teams has been reduced from 64 to 48, with slots for each professional division allocated as evenly as possible.
The First and Second Round draws and schedule will be announced by U.S. Soccer in January, with the dates of the round already determined. Rising will kick off its U.S. Open Cup run on March 17, 18 or 19. 16 MLS clubs will join the tournament in the Round of 32.
Rising is 8-8-3 all-time in Open Cup matches, first taking part in the competition in 2014. Notably, the club has won at least one match in each of its last two Open Cup runs, advancing to the Round of 32 in 2025 and Round of 16 in 2024.
2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule
First Round: Tuesday, March 17 – Thursday, March 19
Second Round: Tuesday, March 31 – Wednesday, April 1
Round of 32: Tuesday, April 14 – Wednesday, April 15
Round of 16: Tuesday, April 28 – Wednesday, April 29
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, May 19 – Wednesday, May 20
Semifinals: Tuesday, Sept. 15 – Wednesday, Sept. 16
Final: Wednesday, October 21
2026 USL Championship Teams (Entering First Round)
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 FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Rhode Island FC
Sacramento Republic FC
San Antonio FC
2026 MLS Teams (Entering Round of 32)
Atlanta United
Austin FC
Charlotte FC
Chicago Fire FC
Colorado Rapids
Columbus Crew
D.C. United
Houston Dynamo FC
Minnesota United FC
New England Revolution
New York City FC
Orlando City SC
Red Bull New York
San Jose Earthquakes
St. Louis CITY SC
Sporting Kansas City
