The US Open Cup 2022 schedule: dates confirmed

The US Open Cup is back for 2022! After a two-year break caused by the COVID pandemic, US oldest competition is set to make its reappearance the upcoming year and the schedule is ready to go.

The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup 2022 will be played from March, when the first Round starts, until mid-September, and will be played on a single-game, knock out basis. The current champion is Atlanta United after they won the 2019 Final against Minnesota United with a 2-1 victory.

For this year’s competition, there will be some changes on how it’s structured, as 17 teams of Division I will start its journey at the third round, one round earlier than in previous years, which gives amateur teams and Division II and Division III higher chances to face a Division I team and increases the opportunity for them to reach the Round of 32.

The US Open Cup 2022 is set to play its 107^th edition, being the oldest US Soccer competition, as it crowned its first champion in 1914. In 1999 the competition was renamed after Lamar Hunt, who was an American soccer pioneer.

This is the US Open Cup 22 Schedule

January 6 – Open division berth allocation

March 22-23 – First Round

April 5-7 – Second Round

April 19-21 – Third Round

May 10-11 – Round of 32

May 24-25 – Round of 16

June 21-22 – Quarterfinals

July 26-27 – Semifinals

September 6-7 or 13-14 Final

Where to watch 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup?

For US residents, ESPN+ will be the home of the oldest soccer tournament in America from its early stages all the way to the Final.

How does the US Open Cup work?

The 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup will be the biggest edition of the soccer tournament up to date, as it will host over 100 teams across all professional divisions and amateur clubs.

On the past few days, the last amateur clubs that will be participating have been selected, as the Qualifying rounds were played from December 13 to December 19. This are the Open Divison clubs that made the cut:

Azteca FC (Colo.)
Brockton FC United (Mass.)
D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (Texas)
City Soccer FC (Fla.)
Contra Costa FC (Calif.)
Escondido FC (Calif.)
Lynchburg FC (Va.)
Nova FC (Va.)
Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.)
Oyster Bay United FC (N.Y.)
San Fernando Valley FC (Calif.)

The First Round will be played between the 11 classified teams and a selection of National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two. The Second Round will include all the teams from Divisions II and III.

For the Third Round, 17 out of 25 Division I clubs will start their journey, including the following: Atlanta United FC, Austin FC, Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire FC, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Cincinnati, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami CF, Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, Minnesota United FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Real Salt Lake and San Jose Earthquakes.

Lastly, for the Round of 32, the remaining 8 MLS teams will join the competition –the four teams playing CONCACAF Champions League and the best two from each conference-: Colorado Rapids, Nashville SC, New England Revolution, New York City FC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City.

What’s in line for the winners of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup?

The winning team of the 2022 US Open Cup will be rewarded with a prize pot of $300,000 and a place in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League. The runner-up will receive $100,000. In addition, there’s also a $25,000 bonus for the club of a lower division that makes it the furthest in the competition.