The "Open Division" qualification process (that is, everyone who isn't fully pro) for the US Open Cup 2027 will whittle down qualifiers to 16 teams, and there will be 16 automatic qualifiers.
First things first, the automatic qualifiers are:
John Motta Trophy holder (that is, the furthest advancing amateur club from the 2026 Cup) : Asheville City of USL League Two.
USASA Amateur Cup Winners (that competition is crowned on July 24-25 between Lansdowne Yonkers (NPSL, representing the East), Chicago House AC (Midwest Premier League, representing the Midwest), Tar Devils SC (UPSL, representing the South) and El Farolito (NPSL, representing the West)
Steinbrecher Cup Champion : Vermont Green (USL League Two)
NPSL Champion: (The winner will be crowned on August 1st. We are approaching the quarterfinals with Duluth FC v El Farolito, our Northland interest)
The top two NPSL clubs not to win the playoffs: So, the runners up and one of the semifinalists. Regular season points-per-game is the first tiebreaker. Here is that table.
The League for Clubs Champion: (The winner will be decided on July 26th)
UPSL Spring Champion and runner-up: (The Final 4 is between August 7th and 9th, and we are currently in the Eastern quarters and the Western Round of 16)
USL League Two Champion and the top 6 regular season teams not to be overall champion: (The Final is on August 1st and we are currently at the Conference Semifinal stage, with Minneapolis City v Peoria City on Saturday):
Those 6 are the Crows, Vermont Green (who are already in), Ocean City Nor'Easters, Colorado Storm, Laredo Heat and Little Rock Rangers, with San Francisco City FC and Snohomish United on the bubble.
Then comes the chaotic fun of the qualifying rounds, which kick off on September 12th and run through November 22nd, whittling down to 16 teams. Clubs cannot simply wait to be knocked out of the playoffs, because the registration window opened on July 9th and closes on August 4th. That process will be covered in greater depth by our friends at TheCup.us and we will obviously bring you any developments relevant to the Northland.
