USL Championship, League One to Compete for USL Cup in 2026

The Prinx Tires USL Cup Features all Championship and League One clubs

Greenville celebrates a quarterfinal win over Indy Eleven in the 2025 USL Cup | Image credit Greenville Triumph/USL

The USL released the format, groups and schedule for the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cub today.

Just like the 2025 version, then sponsored by Jägermeister, there will be a group stage, followed by a knockout tournament.

The seven groups have six clubs each, with the exception of group four, which has seven clubs. The clubs will play four group matches, two home, two away, drawn prior to the release of the schedule.

Clubs will advance to the knockout round by winning their respective group, along with one wild card advancing as a second-place team with the most points in group play. In the result of a points tie, the tiebreaker will be goals scored.

Play will begin on April 25th, continuing with one group stage round per month through July. The knockout round will begin on August 13th, followed by Semifinals on September 9th and the final tentatively scheduled for the weekend of October 2-4.

Hartford Athletic won last year’s tournament, defeating Sacramento Republic in the final. Greenville Triumph made it the furthest of the USL League One group, losing to Hartford in the semifinal.

Prinx Tires USL Cup Groups

Group 1

• Spokane Velocity FC

• Athletic Club Boise

• Sacramento Republic FC

• Oakland Roots SC

• Monterey Bay FC

• Las Vegas Lights FC

Group 2

• AV ALTA FC

• Orange County SC

• El Paso Locomotive FC

• Phoenix Rising FC

• New Mexico United

• Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Group 3

• One Knoxville SC

• Chattanooga Red Wolves SC

• Corpus Christi FC

• FC Tulsa

• San Antonio FC

• Birmingham Legion FC

Group 4

• Fort Wayne FC

• Forward Madison FC

• Union Omaha

• Detroit City FC

• Indy Eleven

• Louisville City FC

• Lexington SC

Group 5

• Portland Hearts of Pine

• Westchester SC

• New York Cosmos

• Hartford Athletic

• Rhode Island FC

• Brooklyn FC

Group 6

• Greenville Triumph SC

• Charlotte Independence

• Richmond Kickers

• Loudoun United FC

• Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

• Charleston Battery

Group 7

• FC Naples

• Sarasota Paradise

• South Georgia Tormenta FC

• Miami FC

• Sporting JAX

• Tampa Bay Rowdies