Major League Soccer announced that all 27 US-based teams will return to the US Open Cup beginning in 2027, according to ESPN. This is the first time the full American MLS contingent will participate in the tournament since 2023. MLS teams withdrew from the US Open Cup in 2024 due to schedule conflicts with the FIFA Club World Cup.

WHAT THE US OPEN CUP IS  

The US Open Cup — the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup — is the oldest ongoing soccer competition in the United States, established in 1914. It is an open tournament: professional and amateur clubs from all levels of American soccer compete, with lower-division and amateur clubs having the opportunity to advance against professional top-flight teams. The cup’s open format makes it specifically different from league competition: it is one of the few venues in American soccer where a lower-division club can defeat a top-flight team in a competitive environment.

WHY THE RETURN MATTERS  

MLS’s withdrawal from the US Open Cup in 2024 affected both the tournament’s prestige and the competitive opportunity for lower-division clubs to face top-flight opponents. The 2027 return restores both: the cup regains its full top-flight participation; lower-division clubs regain the specific competitive opportunity that the open format provides.

The oldest soccer competition in the United States. All 27 top-flight US teams are coming back. Lower-division clubs will have their chance again. That is a genuinely good development for American soccer.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT  

▸  2027 tournament — full US-based MLS team participation; format and schedule

▸  Lower-division clubs — whether any produce notable upsets in the restored open tournament

CONFIDENCE: HIGH

MLS all 27 US teams US Open Cup return 2027 first since 2023 from ESPN confirmed reporting.

SOURCES

▸  ESPN — MLS US Open Cup 27 teams return 2027, September 12, 2026