The U.S. Soccer Federation on Tuesday confirmed the cancellation of the 2021 U.S. Open Cup—it was postponed in April—and unveiled the schedule for the 2022 edition, which will mark the return of the country’s oldest soccer competition following a two-year pandemic pause.
The Open Cup’s uninterrupted run of 106 years—the second longest in the world behind Northern Ireland’s Irish Cup—ended in 2020 because of the coronavirus. In February ’21, U.S. Soccer put together plans to stage a truncated, 24-team Open Cup in May and June. But logistical, travel and financial issues, as well as the compressed schedules in the professional leagues, forced a shutdown.