December 17 – The United Soccer League has renewed Prinx Tires as the naming rights partner for the USL Cup for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The USL Cup is now in its third season and is competed for all 43 teams across the USL Championship and League One – the USL’s tier 2 and tier 3 professional leagues. The USL is working towards promotion and relegation for its leagues, as well as recognition of a Tier 1 league to rival the MLS.
The 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup will kick off Saturday, April 25, with teams divided into seven regional groups. Six groups will consist of six teams and one group will include seven teams, with each club set to play four group-stage matches in the opening phase, which will conclude Saturday, July 11.
The seven group winners and one wild card will advance to the knockout stage, with the wild card awarded to the second-place team with the most points in group play, followed by most goals scored as the first tiebreaker. The Quarterfinals will be held Wednesday, August 13, followed by the Semi-finals on Wednesday, September 9, and the Final on the weekend of October 2–4, 2026.
No value was given for the Prinx Tires sponsorship which will also see Prinx continue as the Official Tire of the USL through the 2027 season.
2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup Groups
Group 1: Athletic Club Boise, Las Vegas Lights FC, Monterey Bay FC, Oakland Roots SC, Sacramento Republic FC, Spokane Velocity FC
Group 2: AV ALTA FC, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, New Mexico United, Orange County SC, Phoenix Rising FC
Group 3: Birmingham Legion FC, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Corpus Christi FC, One Knoxville SC, San Antonio FC, FC Tulsa
Group 4: Detroit City FC, Fort Wayne FC, Forward Madison FC, Indy Eleven, Lexington SC, Louisville City FC, Union Omaha
Group 5: Brooklyn FC, Hartford Athletic, New York Cosmos, Portland Hearts of Pine, Rhode Island FC, Westchester SC
Group 6: Charleston Battery, Charlotte Independence, Greenville Triumph SC, Loudoun United FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Richmond Kickers
Group 7: Miami FC, FC Naples, Sarasota Paradise, South Georgia Tormenta FC, Sporting Club Jacksonville, Tampa Bay Rowdies
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