As of the 2026/27 season, SC Youth Soccer will operate an open South Carolina State Cup competition for male players. By allowing teams from qualifying leagues outside of the new USYS/US Club joint pyramid to participate, the overall level of competition for participants will increase and, in turn, improve the experience of teams participating at USYS National and Regional events.

Details on the new cup format are below:

• South Carolina State Cup champions earn qualification to the US Youth Soccer National Championships.
• South Carolina State Cup will now be an open event for other qualifying leagues (i.e. NAL).
• Only N1, SCPA and PDL teams can qualify for N1 by winning the South Carolina State Cup.
• Entry fees are not collected in league fees due to a variety of qualifying leagues.

Seeding:

Seeding hierarchy is based on the league status within the new USYS/US Club joint pyramid. Any teams competing in leagues outside of this pyramid will be seeded after leagues within the pyramid.

Seeding will be set in early November. Because of this, it is likely that not all league matches will be complete prior to seeding being set. This is to allow enough time for Preliminary and Round of 16 matches to take place.

Scheduling:

Preliminary round(s), Round 1 and the Quarter-Final round are self-scheduled by the competing teams. These games must be scheduling within dates provided by SC Youth Soccer. The Semi-Final and Final rounds are scheduled by SC Youth Soccer.