Massachusetts Adult Soccer

CD Faialense (BSSL) - Qualified for the US Lamar Hunt Proper in 2025

The Open Division Entry Period for the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is now open and will 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 Windows:

•  September 13-14, 2025
•  October 11-12, 2025
•  November 1-2, 2025
•  November 22-23, 2025

Please share the following information with any teams in your league interested in competing in the 2026 U.S. Open Cup. More information can be found on:  https://www.ussoccer.com/us-open-cup/entry-info.

Each team considering entering the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds will encounter and should plan for the following tasks on their journey:

1. Confirm that your team meets the following eligibility requirements (Open Cup Policy Section 202):

• Team is an outdoor soccer team based in the United States.
• Club or league that Team is a member of is affiliated to an Organization Member of U.S. Soccer.
• League that Team is a member of must consist of at least four (4) teams, with each playing at least ten (10) league games in the competition each calendar year.
• Team must be in good standing with the league of which it is a member and remain in good standing with the same league through the competition year.
• Any Team whose league is starting its first season of competition must have started its league schedule at least thirty (30) days prior to the Open Division entry deadline.
• Any Team starting its first season of competition in an existing league must have started its new league’s schedule at least thirty (30) days prior to the Open Division entry deadline.

2. Meet the hosting requirements and commit to team responsibilities.

• Identify at least one venue that meets minimum standards, including minimum field dimensions for qualifying rounds of 100 yards long by 65 yards wide.
• Venue must have restroom facilities available to teams & spectators.
• Venue must be available on one designated date for each Qualifying Round.
• Review Venue & Team participation requirements in the 2026 Handbook. (https://ussoccer.box.com/s/3r4mvm4ypesj4632n33k6v3zme8ymhgl)

Refer to the registration instructions linked below. Entry & Payment Deadline is Monday August 4th, 2025. Please gather all required entry information prior to completing the online entry form. The application must be completed in a single user session.

Registration Instructions (https://ussoccer.box.com/s/rrve1bm65jx9r1b8dakptiv4jqx0pr9u)

Entry Fees
Open Division Entry Fees for the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will remain the same as the previous edition:

Entry Fee: $200

Referee Fee: $300

Performance Bond:$1,500*

*Returned after elimination provided all obligations are met. Roster Entry
Following registration, teams must be prepared to build a roster of up to 25 players.

Roster submission deadline is August 25.

Please review roster entry instructions in this document:

Roster Entry Instructions (https://ussoccer.box.com/s/wlcsxl74vyz1cdj1n7ade0ah7s4dnzgi)

Please review rosters and player eligibility in this document:

Rosters & Player Eligibility (https://ussoccer.box.com/s/f1s9i6w9cqzfhr99s5ewxtjk4vszscma)

If you have any questions, please contact opencup@ussoccer.org!

The first U.S. Open Cup was played in 1914, making it the oldest cup competition for soccer in the United States and the country’s oldest annual tournament for team sports. While professional soccer came and went in various forms and incarnations, at various stages of the 20th century, the Open Cup crowned a champion for each of the last 104 years. Even through the want and woe of the Great Depression and the challenges of two World Wars, the U.S. Open Cup survived. Teams from 17 different states have won the title.

The romance of the U.S. Open Cup derives, in large part, from its format as a single-elimination competition open to all affiliated professional and amateur teams in the United States. $250,000 in prize money is on offer to the winner of the 2017 event, an unfathomable amount for the hopeful amateurs from the Open Division. And while a non-Major League Soccer side hasn’t won since the Rochester Rhinos did it back in 1999, the dream of a fairytale scramble to the final is a spur for those small sides who play for the love of the game. Financial inducements don’t stop with the champions, either, as the runner-up collects $60,000 and the team that advances farthest from each lower division gets $15,000. 

Some of the most magical moments in recent Open Cup history have occurred by local qualifiers making headlines:

• In 2012, Cal FC burst onto the scene with road wins over the Division III Wilmington Hammerheads and Division I Portland Timbers before falling in the Round of 16 to the then three-time defending Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders.
• In 2016, another Southern California side, La Máquina ("The Machine"), reached the Fourth Round and pushed the LA Galaxy to extra-time before dropping a 4-1 result.
• In 2017, amateur powerhouse Christos FC from Maryland earned a shock 1-0 win over the then-Division II Richmond Kickers as part of its run to the Fourth Round, where it led three-time Open Cup champs D.C. United briefly but ultimately fell after conceding three late goals.
• In 2019, the first-time qualifier Florida Soccer Soldiers put their name in lights after a dramatic Second Round comeback in extra time to win in penalties over the Division II Charlotte Independence to reach the Third Round.