2027 US Open Cup Format: All MLS teams return to the competition

US Soccer has announced the format for the 2027 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament proper and it will feature all 27 US-based MLS teams for the first time since 2023, with a total of 64 pro teams and 32 Open Division teams. There have also been numerous changes to operations of the cup, with the hosting priority rules expanding from the last two years to include both the Round of 64 and the Round of 32. The dates have also drastically changed for 2027, with most of the rounds happening after Labor Day and the Final happening on December 15.

TOURNAMENT COMPOSITION

Entering with the 32 Open Division teams in Round 1 will be 32 lower division (Division II and Division III) professional teams between the three total leagues in those divisions (USL Championship, USL League One, and MLS NEXT Pro.) Those 32 match winners in Round 1 will advance to the Round of 64 which will feature the entry of the 27 US based MLS teams and five high performing USL Championship teams. Only teams that have played in their league’s season that started prior to Jan. 1, 2027 will be eligible. This effectively means that no professional “expansion teams” will be eligible for the Open Cup. Along with the “one club, one entry” rule, which makes most teams in MLS NEXT Pro ineligible, this leaves 72 eligible professional teams for the 2027 edition of the tournament.

For the First Round, to determine the 32 lower division pro teams that will enter the competition, it will be

1. All eligible MLS NEXT Pro teams will enter, currently three: Carolina Core FC, Chattanooga FC, and Connecticut United FC
2. The remaining spots will be split amongst USL Championship and USL League One, using the 2026 season standings to determine who will enter if there are more teams than slots available. As of publication, a total of eight teams from this pool will not participate in the 2027 US Open Cup

The five USL Championship Teams that will enter the Second Round/Round of 64 with all MLS teams are:

1. The 2026 Players Shield winner (best regular season record)
2. The 2026 USL Championship league champion
3. The 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup champion (only USL Championship teams remain)
4. The highest seeded Eastern Conference team that is not a trophy holder.
5. The highest seeded Western Conference team that is not a trophy holder.

As of publication, it is unclear who will fill a spot if a USL Championship team wins multiple trophies this year.

HOSTING PRIORITY

For the past two editions of the tournament, the Round of 32 has featured half of the 16 MLS teams that are in the Open Cup to be given priority to hosting the Round of 32 match only, with no priority given for any other round. The remaining matches in that round gave the lower division team priority to host the match. 

For 2027, this has expanded to all 32 teams entering in the Round of 64 (27 MLS and 5 USL-C). Each will be given priority to host that Round of 64 match. To give Round 1 teams another chance to host, any team that enters Round 1 and makes it into the Round of 32 will have hosting priority for the Round of 32 match. The First Round and then from the Round of 16 to the Final hosts will all be done in a random fashion, should both teams desire to host the match with a suitable venue.

NEW DATES FOR 2027

Major League Soccer and MLS NEXT Pro are undergoing a transition in 2027 to a season that starts in July/August and ends in May/June, when for the entire existence of their leagues, the season would normally run from February/March and end in December. This new season schedule for MLS and MLSNP will also feature a winter break starting in late December and ending in late January.

Because of this major change to the only Division I league in the country, the US Open Cup schedule has been adapted to fit. It will still run on a calendar year basis, but will not have rounds for most of the summer, and the final five rounds of the tournament, from the Round of 32 to the Final will all happen after Labor Day in 2027.

• First Round: April 13-14 and 20-21, 2027
• Round of 64: July 8-11, 2027
• Round of 32: Sept. 14-15, 2027
• Round of 16: TBC
• Quarterfinals: Nov. 23-24, 2027
• Semifinals: Dec. 1, 2027
• Final: Dec. 15, 2027

With the Round of 64 during what is presumably the MLS preseason, the match dates revolve around a weekend for, as far as our records say, the first ever time in the Modern Era. This also has the Quarterfinals on the two days prior to Thanksgiving. The Final will likely be one the last games on the MLS schedule prior to their winter break, making it possibly even more of a marquee match with little to no games on or around it.

Generally, this schedule still fits around USL Championship and USL League One schedules too, with their seasons beginning in March and ending in November. Only the final 3 rounds of the tournament may extend seasons for teams from those two leagues, typically 1-2 teams a season.

MLS ROSTER CHANGES FOR US OPEN CUP PLAY

In Major League Soccer’s press release, it states that gameday roster sizes will expand from 18 to 20 for 2027. This would apply to all teams in the tournament proper. They also state that “MLS clubs may select from any contracted first team, MLS NEXT Pro, and academy players.”

As of the last publication and update on their website, US Soccer policy requires teams to use their official league roster for the basis of all matches in the US Open Cup. This has been the policy for the existence of the US Open Cup. There are no provisions to combine official league rosters for another team they own in a different league, nor any youth league rosters. It has to go through official league processes to be on a league roster for any league, and verified by the league’s registrar to US Soccer.

There has also never been a numerical limit to professional team roster sizes for the US Open Cup, and a long time policy of limiting professional team match day rosters to 5 players on foreign visas was removed in late 2019.

What MLS is likely talking about is more towards their internal league rules surrounding rostering players for US Open Cup matches. This is governed and guided by the CBA with the MLS Players Association. Currently there are provisions in the CBA regarding how often a player from MLS NEXT Pro or an academy may be put on the first team roster, for how long, and how many players can be on a first team roster at one time. Therefore, this is most likely a rule that was agreed upon with the MLSPA, which may be announced by MLS in the future.