March 1, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – FC Tulsa News Release
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League today confirmed that 47 USL teams will participate in the 2024
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, including all 36 USL men’s professional teams and the qualified 11 USL
men’s pre-professional clubs. This follows U.S. Soccer’s announcement of the finalized format for the
109th edition of the tournament.
“The USL has supported the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for nearly 30 years, and we are proud to be part
of it again in 2024,” said USL President Paul McDonough. “We applaud all the USL clubs who have
decided to participate in this year’s Open Cup, despite being handed the option to decline. We
appreciate and share the fans’ passion for our country’s most historic and authentic competition, and
we look forward to watching the drama unfold over the course of the tournament.”
The U.S. Open Cup is U.S. Soccer’s club championship and has crowned a national champion annually
since 1914 (with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19). The historic tournament is
conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated
with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the
world’s third-longest continuously run national cup tournament.
The First Round of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup will consist of 32 games with 32 amateur clubs from the
Open Division meeting 32 professional teams from Division III.
USL League Two, part of the Open Division, will be represented by 11 clubs who qualified through their
regular season performance in the 2023 season. USL League One, the preeminent Division III league in
the country, will see all 12 clubs participate as part of the 32 professional teams in the First Round.
The 32 winners of the First Round will be paired up and face each other in the Second Round.
The 16 Second Round winners will then be matched up in the Third Round with 16 teams from the USL
Championship, the top tier of the USL pyramid. These 16 USL Championship teams will be determined
based on sporting merit through the USL Championship Players’ Shield standings.
The eight Third Round winners will advance to the Round of 32, where they will square off against the
remaining eight USL Championship teams, including defending league title-holders Phoenix Rising FC
and Players’ Shield winners Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, and eight teams from Major League Soccer.
For a full list of…