OPEN CUP UPDATE
2026 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP
Ballard FC is proud to announce our participation in Open Cup Qualifying this fall as we look to secure a third straight cup appearance.
Ballard FC, the reigning USL 2 Western Conference Champions, has entered the Open Cup Qualifying tournament, joining 145 other amateur teams all vying for one of the 16 spots in the cup itself.
The first round of qualifying began in September and the second round in mid-October. Ballard FC has received a bye through the first two rounds of qualifying and will enter the tournament in the third (semifinal) round, needing to win two straight matches to qualify for the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Ballard FC’s first-ever U.S. Open Cup Qualifying match will be Saturday, November 1st at 12:00pm as they host Sharktopus FC at Interbay Stadium. See the full match details here.
The fourth and final round of qualifying will take place on November 22nd or 23rd with matchup details to be determined after the completion of the third round.
Fans should continue to check this page (goballardfc.com/2026-open-cup) for match details and roster information.
The fall qualifying roster will be comprised entirely of non-collegiate players as they will be competing with their respective schools during this time.
The U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination style tournament with teams from all divisions. All professional teams in the U.S. Soccer pyramid receive automatic qualification while amateur/semi-professional teams like Ballard FC qualify through either their league standing or open qualifying. Locally, the Sounders have won four U.S. Open Cup titles while many Washington teams have also participated in years past. Notably, the now-defunct Kitsap Pumas competed against the Sounders in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup in 2016 in front of a packed crowd at Starfire Stadium which saw the Sounders edge out a 2-0 win. For a more detailed look at the U.S. Open Cup structure and history, visit their Wikipedia page here.
