TULSA, Okla. (April 22, 2026) — As FC Tulsa’s run in the U.S. Open Cup comes to an end, another tournament is on the horizon for the club to set its sights on. The Prinx Tires USL Cup begins this weekend featuring all 42 teams from the USL Championship and USL League One.
The Scissortails begin their USL Cup campaign this weekend as they welcome defending League One champions One Knoxville SC to ONEOK Field on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at fctulsa.com/tickets or by calling 918-727-2231. The match will be broadcast on Tulsa CW stations and streamed on ESPN+.
STRUCTURE
This is the third year of the USL Cup after it launched in 2024 in USL League One. The closest comparison to the format of this tournament is the recently launched NBA Cup which also occurs during the regular season.
Teams were geographically split into seven groups that feature a range of five to seven clubs. Every club will play four matches, two home and two away. These matches have been built into the regular season schedule which has now been condensed from 34 to 30 matches.
The seven group winners advance to the knockout round beginning on Wednesday, August 12. The last spot in the quarterfinal round will be awarded to the second place team with the most points in group play while the first tiebreaker being goals scored.
MATCH RULES
Unlike regular season matches, USL Cup matches will not end without a victor. If tied after 90 minutes, the match will go to a penalty shootout which promises more excitement to the tournament.
Points will be awarded as follows:
- Win – 3 points
- Shootout win – 2 points
- Shootout loss – 1 point
- Loss – 0 points
These matches will not count toward the regular season standings given the interleague nature of some matchups.
SCHEDULE
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION/TICKETS | TIME |
| Saturday, April 25 | One Knoxville SC * | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 7:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, May 16 | Corpus Christi FC * | Corpus Christi, Texas | 7:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, June 6 | San Antonio FC ^ | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 7:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, July 11 | Birmingham Legion FC ^ | Birmingham, Alabama | 7:00 p.m. |
| Not playing: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | * – USL League One | ^ – USL Championship | |||
FC Tulsa will compete in Group Three of the USL Cup which features fellow USL Championship sides Birmingham Legion FC and San Antonio FC along with USL League One clubs Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Corpus Christi FC and One Knoxville SC.
The knockout stage will begin on Wednesday, August 12 with the semifinals on Wednesday, September 9 and the final during the weekend of October 2-4. Regular season matches would be made up at later dates if needed.
ADDITIONAL INFO
For the knockout stage, teams will be randomly drawn into Pots A-D which will determine hosting priority. Two teams from the same group cannot face off in the quarterfinal round. A draw will be held for each knockout round.
There will be no caution accumulation across USL Cup matches. Cautions will also not count against regular season totals.
