USL Championship and League One clubs to compete in new Cup format, which is the first interleague competition created by a domestic soccer league
Las Vegas, NV (December 12, 2024) – The United Soccer League (USL) today announced the expansion of the USL Jägermeister Cup, uniting clubs from the USL Championship and League One in a groundbreaking interleague competition.
Las Vegas Lights FC, a member of the USL Championship, will match up against other Championship clubs and USL League One sides in the new cup competition to be played over the course of the 2025 season.
The USL Jägermeister Cup will consist of six regional groups (see below), 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 randomly drawn.
Following the conclusion of group play, the first-place team from each group (six teams) will advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds. Two wild card qualifiers will also advance, determined by the highest points totals amongst teams who did not top their group.
The Lights were drawn into Group 1, which features Championship and fellow Western Conference clubs Monterey Bay F.C., Oakland Roots SC, Orange County SC, and Sacramento Republic FC, as well as USL League One teams AV Alta FC and Spokane Velocity FC.
The full schedule of group stage matches will be announced at a later date alongside the 2025 USL Championship regular season. The USL Jägermeister Cup and the regular season will run concurrently throughout 2025.
The group stage kicks off on 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 October 11.
Entering its second year after a successful launch exclusively with League One clubs last season, the 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup will feature all 38 professional men’s clubs competing in a World Cup-style tournament throughout the regular season. The 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.
| 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 |