All MLS clubs set to return to US Open Cup in 2027 after four-year absence from competition

MLS clubs will enter the tournament in the round of 64, scheduled for mid-July. They will have hosting rights for the games, meaning lower-level or even amateur clubs will likely make a trip to an MLS stadium for a cup tie. MLS rejected participation in the competition in 2023, citing fixture congestion as a reason for their snub of the tournament. MLS proposed, instead, that their MLS Next Pro sides - effectively their reserve teams - participate. That proposal was rejected.

The decision is no doubt a good move for fans who have criticized MLS's withdrawal from the tournament. The expansion of Leagues Cup in 2023 led to more fixtures in the summer, around the same time that U.S. Open Cup games would be played. Fans of numerous prominent MLS franchises. Seattle Sounders, in particular were vehement in their dislike of the decision, with some fans boycotting a number of Leagues Cup games and suggesting that U.S. Open Cup had been abandoned in favor of Leagues Cup - which they claimed is more lucrative for MLS.

It would also seem to be a massive win for USL and amateur soccer in the United States. Like MLS, USL is also approaching some major competition changes. They will become a Division I league in 2028 and adopt a promotion-relegation model that same year - establishing a setup that MLS has always refused to embrace.

Thirty-two amateur teams enter the competition every year, and they, too, would seem to benefit.

For all of the controversy, the 2026 iteration of the competition is still going strong. Four semifinalists - all MLS clubs - are set to compete for a spot in the final on Sept. 14. The U.S. Open Cup has been running in some form since 1914.