San Jose Earthquakes to Compete in 2027 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Major League Soccer today announced that all 27 of its U.S.-based clubs, including the San Jose Earthquakes, will compete in the 2027 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the nation’s longest-running soccer competition. 

U.S. Soccer’s historic national club championship announced its new format for the 112th edition, which brings together professional and amateur soccer in communities across the country. The tournament will begin with the First Round in April and concludes with the Final, scheduled for Dec. 15. The final five rounds will all take place after Labor Day to accommodate the evolving U.S. professional soccer calendar.  

The 96-team field, comprising teams from Division I, II and III professional leagues, as well as 32 amateur clubs from the Open Division, will compete for a $1 million purse and a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup.  

All U.S.-based MLS clubs will enter the competition in the Round of 64 and will join five seeded clubs from the USL Championship (Division II). Teams entering in the Round of 64 will have hosting priority in that round, while any lower-division teams that advance will have hosting priority for the Round of 32.  

An additional 32 teams from the USL Championship, USL League One (Division III) and MLS NEXT Pro (Division III) will enter in the First Round, with each professional club facing off against a team from the Open Division. With the field of eligible Division II and Division III teams remaining exceeding 32 teams, qualification criteria based on 2026 results will be applied to narrow the field. For a professional team to be eligible, they must have played in the most recent competition year of their league starting prior to Jan. 1, 2027.  

The U.S. Open Cup adheres to “one club, one entry,” meaning professional clubs will enter their highest-level professional team. Teams may roster any player of that club with no numerical cap on the number of eligible players. For 2027, game day rosters are expanding from 18 to 20 players.  

First Round matchups will be announced in early 2027 with each pairing geographically matched with a team entering in the Round of 64. The first live draw will be held following the Round of 64, when the matchups and hosting scenarios for the Round of 32 and Round of 16 will be revealed.  

The overall format, draw groups and pairings will be based on geography, along with the basic mathematic principles of a single-elimination competition. Random selection will be used to solve a lack of logical geographic fit. Draw groups may be constructed to account for venue availability in any round, based on the league schedule of competing teams or other conditions per tournament regulations.  

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned U.S. Soccer’s national club champion since 1914. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and is open to professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, making it the only U.S. team sport competition in which amateurs have the chance to compete directly against professionals. As the longest running national soccer competition in the United States and the world's third longest continuously run national cup tournament, the U.S. Open Cup is supported by partners Marriott, Michelob Ultra, New York Life, and Nike, who help bring this iconic competition to life. 

"The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is one of the most powerful platforms we have to showcase what makes American soccer special," said Dan Helfrich, U.S. Soccer Chief Operating Officer. "When you bring various levels of the soccer community together, you create a connected, competitive environment that moves the sport forward and gives fans the drama of knockout soccer. Along with MLS, USL and all of the Member Organizations represented in the Open Division, the U.S. Open Cup reflects our shared commitment to strengthen the future of the game in this country."  

“The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup connects all leagues, clubs and fans in a unique way,” said Nelson Rodriguez, MLS Executive Vice President of Sporting and Matchday. “For MLS clubs, it’s a chance to write a special chapter in the tournament’s history and earn qualification to the Concacaf Champions Cup.”  

Though San Jose has never won the U.S. Open Cup, the club reached the Quarterfinals this season and came closest in 2004 and 2017, reaching the semifinals in both instances. The 2017 version of the tournament saw San Jose beat the San Francisco Deltas, Seattle Sounders FC, and archrival LA Galaxy in succession. However, the Quakes’ run would end in a 5-4 penalty shootout loss at the hands of Sporting Kansas City following a 1-1 draw. In 2004, the Quakes defeated the Portland Timbers and Minnesota Thunder of the now-defunct A-League before also falling to Sporting Kansas City (then known as the Kansas City Wizards), 1-0.  

The Earthquakes hold a 25-21 all-time record in U.S. Open Cup play, including a 20-6 record against non-MLS teams. 

2027 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule 

First Round: April 13-14 & 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 

(dates subject to change) 

The official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is ussoccer.com/us-open-cup. Fans can also follow the competition on X/Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.