| Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualification | |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Country: | United States |
| Num Teams: | 114 |
| Continental Cup Title: | Qualified |
| Continental Cup Qualifiers: |
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| Matches: | 91 |
| Goals: | 395 |
| Prev Season: | 2024 |
| Next Season: | 2026 |
| Updated: | 23:14, November 17, 2024 (UTC) |
The 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualification will serve as local qualification for the 110th edition of the oldest soccer tournament in the United States.[1] The tournament proper will feature both professional and amateur teams in the United States soccer league system.
Qualification for the 2025 tournament includes local qualifying matches contested by 114 amateur teams, fighting for 14 local qualifying slots, and is scheduled to take place in 2024. One team also qualified by winning the 2024 National Amateur Cup and one team qualified by winning the 2024 United Premier Soccer League Spring Championships.[1]
Clubs based in the United States that play in a league that is an organization member of U.S. Soccer are generally eligible to compete for the U.S. Open Cup, so long as their league includes at least four teams and has a schedule of at least 10 matches for each club. To be eligible, teams must be members in good standing of their leagues on December 31, 2023, and remain so through the 2024 final. Any team that started its first season of competition in an existing league must have started its new league's schedule no later 30 days prior to the Open Division Entry Deadline.[2]
Starting in 2019, the winner of the previous year's National Amateur Cup automatically qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup.[3] The cup winner enters the tournament proper in the first round with the other local qualifiers. Beginning in 2024, the United Premier Soccer League Spring Champion also earned a direct entry into the first round proper of the tournament.[4] These two teams along with the 14 local qualifiers account for 16 of the 32 amateur teams that qualify for the tournament proper in 2025. The other 16 teams come from the National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two and qualify through national league pathways, which use previous summer season standings to determine who qualifies for the slots.[1]
New York Pancyprian-Freedoms defeated FC Milwaukee Torrent 6–0, to win the 2024 National Amateur Cup and qualify for the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.[5]
Soda City FC defeated Inland Empire FC 3–2, to win the 2024 UPSL Spring Championships and earning a direct qualification into the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.[6]
U.S. Soccer originally announced that 114 teams would participate in local qualifying. Four rounds of local qualifying matches will result in 14 clubs advancing to the tournament proper. The teams will be organize into 14 regional pools prior to the qualifying round draw[1]
| Round | Match day | New Teams | Entrants | Teams entered to date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Qualifying Round | October 5 & 6 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Second Qualifying Round | October 5 & 6, October 26 & 27 | 92 | 100 | 108 |
| Third Qualifying Round | October 26 & 27, November 16 & 17 | 6 | 56 | 114 |
| Fourth Qualifying Round | November 16 & 17, December 7 & 8 | 0 | 28 | 114 |
A total of 25 states and the District of Columbia are represented by clubs in the U.S. Open Cup Qualification this year.
| States | Number | League | Teams | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | UPSL | Acoreano Sport, Bay Valley Suns Sports Club, City SC San Diego, FC Balboa, FC Folsom, Independente Los Angeles Futbol Club, Irvine FC, Laguna United FC, Napa Valley 1839 FC, Real Galt FC, San Diego Internacional, Trojans FC, Valley 559 FC | |
| 4 | Southwest Premier League | Chula Vista FC, Desert FC, JASA RWC, Playmaker FC | ||
| 2 | San Francisco Soccer Football League | International San Francisco SC, San Francisco Vikings Soccer Club | ||
| 1 | NISA Nation | Modesto City Football Club | ||
| 2 | 9 | UPSL | City Soccer FC, Deportivo Lake Mary FC, Harbor City FC, Hodler Miami FC, International Soccer Association, Kissimmee Soccer Club, Miami United FC, Palm Beach Flames SC, Pinecrest Premier SC | |
| 6 | United States Soccer League | Atletico Miami Internacional FC, FC America CFL Spurs, Inter Nona Soccer Club, Miami Soccer Academy, O'Shea's FC, River Miami FC | ||
| 1 | Florida Gold Coast League | Hurricane FC | ||
| 1 | Premier Futbol League | Red Force FC | ||
| 1 | Sunshine Conference Soccer League | Naples United U23 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Eastern Premier Soccer League | Central Park Rangers FC, KidSuper Samba AC, Lansdowne Yonkers, New York Greek-American, Zum Schneider FC 03 | |
| 3 | UPSL | FCY New York, NY Empire FC, NY Renegades FC | ||
| 1 | Long Island Soccer Football League | Leros SC | ||
| 1 | NISA Nation | Roc City Boom | ||
| 4 | 5 | United Soccer League of Pennsylvania | Colonial SC, Philadelphia Ukrainians Nationals, United German Hungarians, Vereinigung Erzgebirge, West Chester United SC | |
| 3 | Eastern Premier Soccer League | Alloy Soccer Club, Kensington Soccer Club, Vidas United FC | ||
| 1 | Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League | Pittsburgh Dynamo | ||
| 5 | 2 | UPSL | 210 FC, Foro SC | |
| 2 | Dallas Soccer Association | D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club, StrikerZ DFW Soccer Club | ||
| 1 | Austin Men's Soccer Association | Austin Thunder | ||
| 1 | Houston Football Association | ASC New Stars | ||
| 1 | United States Soccer League | Houston Regals SCA | ||
| 5 | Colorado Premier League | Azteca FC, Boulder United FC, Colorado Rovers, FC Denver, Harpos | ||
| 2 | Mountain Premier League | Peak Eleven Football Club, Timbers SC | ||
| 7 | 2 | Midwest Premier League | Chicago House AC, Edgewater Castle Football Club | |
| 2 | UPSL | Chicago Strikers, Wisloka Chicago | ||
| 1 | Greater Chicago Soccer League | United SC | ||
| 8 | 2 | EPSL | Maryland Bobcats II, Patuxent FA | |
| 1 | Maryland Super Soccer League | Steel Pulse | ||
| 1 | UPSL | MSI Pro | ||
| 2 | Bay State Soccer League | CD Faialense, FC Omens | ||
| 2 | UPSL | Boston Street FC, Project Football | ||
| 2 | UPSL | Alexandria Reds, VA Revolution Pro | ||
| 1 | Eastern Premier Soccer League | NoVa FC | ||
| 1 | Virginia Super Soccer League | Virginia Dream FC | ||
| 2 | Seattle Recreational Adult Team Soccer | Sharktopus Football Club, Washington Athletic Club | ||
| 2 | UPSL | Bellevue Athletic FC, Holac FC | ||
| 12 | 1 | American Premier League | Aegean Hawks | |
| 1 | DC Premier League | Guerrilla FC | ||
| 1 | UPSL | DC Hyper | ||
| 2 | Eastern Premier Soccer League | Oaklyn United FC, SC Vistula Garfield | ||
| 1 | UPSL | New Jersey Alliance | ||
| 14 | 2 | UPSL | Southern Indiana FC, Southern Indiana Guardians FC | |
| 2 | NISA Nation | Las Vegas Legends, Soccer Academy Nevada | ||
| 2 | UPSL | Bartlesville Buffaloes, Tulsa Athletic | ||
| 17 | 1 | UPSL | Next Level Soccer | |
| 1 | UPSL | Dalton United | ||
| 1 | The Select League | Woodland Football Club | ||
| 1 | UPSL | Bowling Green FC | ||
| 1 | UPSL | UDA Soccer | ||
| 1 | UPSL | Mint Hill FC | ||
| 1 | Ohio Valley Premier League | Valhalla FC | ||
| 1 | UPSL | Deportivo Rose City | ||
| 1 | UPSL | South Carolina United Heat | ||
| 1 | UPSL | Pre-College Development Academy |
On September 18, 2024, USSF completed the draw for the initial qualifying rounds. The 114 entrants were divided into 14 geographical groups with a goal to decrease travel. Match ups, byes and home teams in each geographical group were determined by random selection. In order to reach the 14 teams that will qualify for the tournament proper, only eight matches in the first qualifying round. 92 teams received byes to the second qualifying round and six teams received byes to the third qualifying round. Seven of the qualifying groups will cones their second round matches on October 5 & 6 completing their qualifying tournament on November 15 & 16, while the other seven groups have first round games on October 5 & 6, completing their qualifying tournament on December 7 & 8.[7]
| California North | California South | Colorado | DMV | East | Florida (2 qualify) | Mid Atlantic | Midwest A (0.5 qualify) | |
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| Midwest B (0.5 Teams qualify) | New York | Northeast A (0.5 Teams qualify) | Northeast B (0.5 Teams qualify) | Pennsylvania | Texas | West A (0.5 Teams qualify) | West B (0.5 Teams qualify) | |
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The first qualifying round matches are scheduled for October 5 & 6. 92 clubs will get First qualifying Round Byes.[7] [8]
Eight groups will hold their second qualifying round matches on Oct. 5 & 6, and the other eight groups will hold their second qualifying round matches on October 27 & 28. Six clubs will get second qualifying round byes.[7] [9]
Eight groups will hold their third qualifying round matches on Oct. 26 & 27, and the other eight groups will hold their third qualifying round matches on November 16 & 17[7] [10]
Seven groups (Northeast A & B combined) will hold their fourth qualifying round matches on Nov. 17 & 18, and the other six groups (West A & B and Midwest A & B) will hold their fourth qualifying round matches on December 7 & 8[7] [11] [12]