The Flint City Bucks will compete in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, accepting an invitation for the first time since rehoming to Flint in 2019.
“We’re thrilled to return to the Open Cup stage,” said Bucks President Costa Papista in a news release. “Since putting our roots down in Flint and Genesee County, changes in the soccer landscape and tournament format have made participation a challenge. But our recent success has given us an opportunity, and we feel prepared to take another run at this historic David vs. Goliath tournament. We want to bring something truly special to our very deserving fans.”
The Bucks earned one of USL League Two’s nine automatic bids to the tournament proper, bypassing qualifying rounds. Flint City (9-3-0) won the Great Lakes Division in 2025, claiming a spot among potential qualifiers which were prioritized by regular-season points per match.
The Open Cup will feature 32 semiprofessional and amateur clubs, which will each face full professional sides during the opening round in late March. In 2025, the first round featured pro teams from the second-tier USL Championship, as well as third-tier USL League One and MLS NEXT Pro. The furthest-advancing Open Division club will receive $50,000 in prize money and qualification to the 2027 edition.
Qualifying rounds for teams that did not receive automatic bids began this month and continue through November.
The Bucks are among the most decorated semiprofessional teams in Open Cup history, with 15 appearances since 1997 and a record 10 victories over professional opponents — including upsets of MLS sides New England Revolution (2000) and Chicago Fire (2012).
Tournament format details are expected in early 2026, followed by the first-round draw including matchups and hosting information. The Bucks’ home, Atwood Stadium, meets all U.S. Soccer standards, and the franchise plans to apply to host all knockout matches.
Since their inception in 1997 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, the club has appeared 15 times (qualifying for three more) and played 30 tournament matches. They’ve hosted 22 games.
The Bucks hold a 10-10-1 record against professional opponents and are 2-4-1 against Major League Soccer clubs, with two of the most famous upsets in Open Cup history.
In 2000, they became the first team from the Premier Development League (now USL2) to defeat an MLS opponent, beating the New England Revolution 1–0 at Foxboro Stadium.
In 2012, as the Michigan Bucks, they defeated the Chicago Fire — themselves a four-time Open Cup champion — 3-2 in extra time at Pontiac’s Ultimate Soccer Arenas. With that victory, the Bucks became the first semiprofessional team in the modern era to defeat multiple MLS sides.
The Bucks also boast wins over professional teams from USL and NASL, including the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Cincinnati Kings, Dayton Dutch Lions, and Indy Eleven.
Now entering its 111th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned U.S. Soccer’s national champion since 1914. The tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and is open to professional and amateur/semiprofessional teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.
The 2025 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn a berth in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports and now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The 2025 tournament features a total purse worth $1 million that includes a $600,000 award for the champion.
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