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CHICAGO – The 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup kicks off March 18-20 with a 32-game First Round array of exclusively amateur vs. pro matchups. U.S. Soccer has finalized the format for the 96-team tournament – the 110th edition of the historic national club championship that celebrates elite amateur and pro soccer in communities across the country – through to the showpiece national final on October 1. The Open Cup is the only competition in USA-based team sports where amateurs have the chance to play professionals in direct competition.
“The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a crucial connection point for all levels of soccer in the United States,” said U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson ahead of the tournament, first contested in 1913. “U.S. Soccer exists in service to soccer and this historic tournament allows us to lift the people who are leading the charge to support soccer in their communities. We are pleased to continue working with and collaborating with all U.S. Soccer members to maximize the tournament’s impact on the sport of soccer at all levels in this country.”
The tournament will include the 24 teams of the USL Championship, including last year’s Open Cup semifinalists Indy Eleven, and 16 teams from Major League Soccer (MLS), including former Open Cup Champions Chicago Fire, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution and Orlando City.
Indy Eleven Coach Sean McAuley’s Boys in Blue advanced to the semi-finals of the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with four victories, including a 2-1 win at MLS side Atlanta United.
“Our team delivered an unprecedented run for the Club to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semi-Finals," said Indy Eleven President & CEO Greg Stremlaw. “We showed that we can play with the best in the country.”
New for the 2025 edition of the Open Cup, there will be eight seeded USLC teams – four Eastern and four Western – predetermined to host from the teams entering in the Third Round and Round of 32. Indy Eleven is seeded based on its finish in the 2024 USLC Eastern Conference standings, so it will host a Third-Round game April 15 or 16 at Carroll Stadium.
The eight lowest-seeded USLC teams enter the First Round. The 16 higher-seeded USLC clubs will enter the Third Round. The eight lowest-seeded teams entering in the Third Round and the Round of 32 are predetermined to be away. This change was made to add operational and financial certainty, while the opponents will still be determined by random draw.
There will be 16 MLS teams competing in the 2025 Open Cup – up from eight in 2024 – and they will enter the competition in the Round of 32.
2025 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP SCHEDULE
First Round–March 18-20
Second Round–April 1-2
Third Round–April 15-16
Round of 32–May 6-7
Round of 16–May 20-21
Quarterfinals–July 8-9
Semifinal–Sept. 16-17
Final–Oct. 1
ABOUT THE LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP SCHEDULE
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is U.S. Soccer's Club Championship. Now in its 110th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The history-filled 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 world's third-longest continuously run national cup tournament. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S. was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
The 2025 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2026 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.
LAFC of MLS is defending Champion. The 109th edition of the tournament concluded on September 25, 2024, with LAFC beating four-time Champions Sporting Kansas City 3-1 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles to become Open Cup Champions for the first time.
The www.usopencup.com is the official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Fans can also follow the competition on X/Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.
Indy Eleven tickets for the 2025 season are on sale! Experience all the excitement and exclusive benefits with Season Tickets starting at only $12 per game, or check out the new 8-Ticket Flex Mini-Plan - you can redeem tickets in any combination across all matches, plus receive complimentary tickets for Opening Night. For more information, click here, email tickets@indyeleven.com, or call (317) 685-1100 during regular business hours.
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 32-year veteran of the Michigan and national media circles and recently joined the staff full time at PMG in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/NSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
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