USL Championship and League One clubs will compete in new Cup format
TAMPA, Fla. (December 12, 2024) – The United Soccer League (USL) announced today the expansion of the USL Jägermeister Cup, uniting clubs from the USL Championship and League One in a groundbreaking, 38-team interleague competition. The 2025 tournament represents a significant milestone for domestic soccer, as it marks the first time a U.S. soccer league has established its own interleague cup.
The USL Jägermeister Cup will be a World Cup-style tournament beginning with six regional groups, with six or seven teams assigned by league or conference affiliation per group. Each team will play four matches – two home, two away – in group play with home assignments being randomly drawn. The group stage kicks off April 26 and concludes the weekend of July 26. After the group stage, a draw will set the matchups for the single-elimination knockout rounds, which will begin three weeks later. The USL Jägermeister Cup will conclude with the Final on the weekend of Oct. 11.
| GROUP 1 | GROUP 2 | GROUP 3 | GROUP 4 | GROUP 5 | GROUP 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AV Alta FC | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | Birmingham Legion FC | Detroit City FC | Charlotte Independence | Charleston Battery |
| Las Vegas Lights FC | El Paso Locomotive FC | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | Hartford Athletic | Lexington SC | Greenville Triumph |
| Monterey Bay F.C. | New Mexico United | Forward Madison FC | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Loudoun United FC | Miami FC |
| Oakland Roots SC | Phoenix Rising FC | Indy Eleven | Portland Hearts of Pine | Louisville City FC | FC Naples |
| Orange County SC | San Antonio FC | One Knoxville SC | Rhode Island FC | North Carolina FC | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
| Sacramento Republic FC | Texoma FC | FC Tulsa | Westchester SC | Richmond Kickers | Tormenta FC |
| Spokane Velocity FC | Union Omaha |
Union Omaha’s group features a quintet of well-established USL Championship teams, as well as a 2025 expansion club to USL League One in Texoma FC. Only one team in Union Omaha’s group is a club they have previously faced in a competitive fixture; their 2023 and 2024 U.S. Open Cup exploits ran the Owls up against El Paso Locomotive, defeating them on both occasions to advance. Omaha has played against Phoenix Rising and Colorado Springs Switchbacks in preseason friendlies, with the latter also being a two-time opponent in the Special Olympics’ Unified Soccer Series.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks finished second in the USL Championship’s Western Conference before going on a title-winning run in the playoffs. New Mexico United placed first in the conference, defeating eighth place Phoenix Rising before falling in the conference semifinals. San Antonio FC and El Paso Locomotive finished 9th and 12th in the Western Conference, respectively.
More information about the USL Jägermeister Cup will be shared in the coming months leading up to the competition and throughout the tournament on the league’s dedicated social media channels at USL Jägermeister Cup on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
