U.S. Open Cup Announces UPSL Spring Season National Champion Awarded First Round Berth in 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) are pleased to announce that beginning this year, the UPSL Spring Season National Champions will be awarded a First Round berth in the prestigious competition that serves as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship. Through this first-round berth, the UPSL champion enters the stage of the competition that includes professional clubs.

This marks the first time the UPSL has been awarded a slot in the First Round of the competition and recognizes the extent of the league’s nationwide growth and the quality of the UPSL 32-team National Bracket. The opportunity for all other UPSL clubs to qualify for the Open Cup proper via the open qualifying rounds remains.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure working with the Open Cup Committee. This decision is a testament to their great motivation to keep improving this competition and recognizing the growing talent at the semi-pro and amateur level,” United Premier Soccer League CEO Graham Walsh said. “The first-round place in the U.S. Open Cup acknowledges the magnitude of our champion’s achievement, the quality of their roster, and presents an incredible opportunity for them to compete against some of the best teams in the nation and further showcase themselves on the national stage.”

Every year, over 100 professional and amateur clubs enter the Open Cup in a quest to become champions—last year’s winners, Orlando City SC, defeated USL Championship-side Sacramento Republic FC in what was the first U.S. Open Cup final to feature a non-MLS team since 2008.

This year, UPSL clubs Beaman United (Nashville, TN) and UDA Soccer (Las Cruces, NM) both competed in the First and Second Round. After defeating USL League Two side Park City Red Wolves, UDA Soccer fell to USL Championship’s New Mexico United, narrowly missing out on the chance to compete against a MLS team in the Third Round.

Currently in its 108th edition, the U.S. Open Cup crowned its first champion in 1914 and is well-known as a historic, single-elimination knockout tournament open to professional and amateur sides across the US. This year’s Open Cup winner is set to receive $300,000 in prize money and an automatic berth in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions League.

With the UPSL 2023 Spring Season about to enter the National Bracket stage, UPSL teams can now look forward to not only competing for a National Championship and a $20,000 prize, but also automatic qualification into the First Round of one of the USA’s most historic competitions.

For more information on the U.S. Open Cup please visit usopencup.com to view tournament info and key dates for the competition.

To view the latest results and standings in the UPSL Spring Season Playoffs and National Bracket, please visit staging.upsl.com.