# 1925–26 National Challenge Cup

The 1925–26 National Challenge Cup was the annual open cup held by the United States Football Association now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

## History

There were 131 entrants to the tournament. Twenty-five teams (12 western and 13 eastern) were exempt from the qualifying stages because of their relative strength. These included primarily the ASL and St. Louis Soccer League teams. The remaining 106 teams played off for the seven remaining spots in the first round proper. The preliminary qualifying round featured 44 matches with 18 teams receiving byes. Canadian teams were admitted because several outfits from Essex County, Ontario were affiliated with the Michigan Soccer Association which in turn was a member of the USFA.

## Eastern Division

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| January 16 - New Bedford | January 16 - New Bedford | | | | | | |
| New Bedford Whalers | 5 | | | | | | |
| New Bedford Whalers | 5 | February 20 - New Bedford | February 20 - New Bedford | | | | | |
| Shawsheen Indians | 0 | February 20 - New Bedford | February 20 - New Bedford | | | | |
| Shawsheen Indians | 0 | New Bedford Whalers | 0 | | | | |
| January 16 - Pawtucket | January 16 - Pawtucket | | New Bedford Whalers | 0 | | | | |
| January 16 - Pawtucket | January 16 - Pawtucket | J&P Coats | 1 | | | | |
| J&P Coats | 4 | J&P Coats | 1 | | | | |
| J&P Coats | 4 | | | | February 28 - Tiverton | February 28 - Tiverton | | |
| Abbot Worsted | 1 | | | | February 28 - Tiverton | February 28 - Tiverton | |
| Abbot Worsted | 1 | | | | J&P Coats | 5 | |
| January 17 - Tiverton | January 17 - Tiverton | | | | | J&P Coats | 5 | |
| January 17 - Tiverton | January 17 - Tiverton | | | | Boston SC | 3 | |
| Fall River F.C. | 3 | | | | Boston SC | 3 | |
| Fall River F.C. | 3 | February 14, 21 - Tiverton/Boston | February 14, 21 - Tiverton/Boston | | | | | |
| Providence FC | 2 | February 14, 21 - Tiverton/Boston | February 14, 21 - Tiverton/Boston | | | | |
| Providence FC | 2 | Fall River F.C. | 1-2 | | | | |
| January 16 - Boston | January 16 - Boston | | Fall River F.C. | 1-2 | | | | |
| January 16 - Boston | January 16 - Boston | Boston SC | 1-3 | | | | |
| Boston Soccer Club | 2 | Boston SC | 1-3 | | | | |
| Boston Soccer Club | 2 | | | | | | | March 21 - Providence | March 21 - Providence |
| Fore River | 1 | | | | | | | March 21 - Providence | March 21 - Providence |
| Fore River | 1 | | | | | | | J&P Coats | 1 |
| January 17, 24 - New York | January 17, 24 - New York | | | | | | | | J&P Coats | 1 |
| January 17, 24 - New York | January 17, 24 - New York | | | | | | | Bethlehem Steel | 3 |
| Brooklyn Wanderers | 2-3 | | | | | | | Bethlehem Steel | 3 |
| Brooklyn Wanderers | 2-3 | February 21, 28 - Brooklyn | February 21, 28 - Brooklyn | | | | | | |
| Indiana Flooring | 2-2 | February 21, 28 - Brooklyn | February 21, 28 - Brooklyn | | | | | | |
| Indiana Flooring | 2-2 | Brooklyn Wanderers | 2-1 | | | | | | |
| January 17 - Bronx | January 17 - Bronx | | Brooklyn Wanderers | 2-1 | | | | | | |
| January 17 - Bronx | January 17 - Bronx | New York Giants | 2-5 | | | | | | |
| New York Giants | 9 | New York Giants | 2-5 | | | | | | |
| New York Giants | 9 | | | | March 14 - Brooklyn | March 14 - Brooklyn | | | | |
| Yonkers Thistle | 1 | | | | March 14 - Brooklyn | March 14 - Brooklyn | | | |
| Yonkers Thistle | 1 | | | | New York Giants | 1 | | | |
| January 17, 24 - Trenton | January 17, 24 - Trenton | | | | | New York Giants | 1 | | | |
| January 17, 24 - Trenton | January 17, 24 - Trenton | | | | Bethlehem Steel | 2 | |
| Trenton F.C. | 3-1 | | | | Bethlehem Steel | 2 | |
| Trenton F.C. | 3-1 | February 13 - Philadelphia | February 13 - Philadelphia | | | | | |
| Philadelphia Field Club | 3-4 | February 13 - Philadelphia | February 13 - Philadelphia | | | | |
| Philadelphia Field Club | 3-4 | Philadelphia Field Club | 1 | | | | |
| January 17 - Harrison | January 17 - Harrison | | Philadelphia Field Club | 1 | | | | |
| January 17 - Harrison | January 17 - Harrison | Bethlehem Steel | 2 | | | | |
| Newark Skeeters | 1 | Bethlehem Steel | 2 | | | | |
| Bethlehem Steel | 5 | | | | | | |

## Western Division

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| January 17 - Cleveland | January 17 - Cleveland | | | | | | |
| Cleveland Thistles | 1 | | | | | | |
| Cleveland Thistles | 1 | February 7 - Cleveland | February 7 - Cleveland | | | | | |
| Clan MacKenzie | 2 | February 7 - Cleveland | February 7 - Cleveland | | | | |
| Clan MacKenzie | 2 | Clan MacKenzie | 2$^a$ | | | | |
| January 24 - St. Louis | January 24 - St. Louis | | Clan MacKenzie | 2$^a$ | | | | |
| January 24 - St. Louis | January 24 - St. Louis | Ben Millers | 0 | | | | |
| Ben Millers | 3 | Ben Millers | 0 | | | | |
| Ben Millers | 3 | | | | March 7 - St. Louis | March 7 - St. Louis | | |
| American-Hungarians | 1 | | | | March 7 - St. Louis | March 7 - St. Louis | |
| American-Hungarians | 1 | | | | Ben Millers | 2 | |
| January 17 - St. Louis | January 17 - St. Louis | | | | | Ben Millers | 2 | |
| January 17 - St. Louis | January 17 - St. Louis | | | | Vesper Buick | 0 | |
| Vesper Buick | 7 | | | | Vesper Buick | 0 | |
| Vesper Buick | 7 | February 7 - St. Louis | February 7 - St. Louis | | | | | |
| Royalton Stars | 2 | February 7 - St. Louis | February 7 - St. Louis | | | | |
| Royalton Stars | 2 | Vesper Buick | 6 | | | | |
| January 10 - St. Louis | January 10 - St. Louis | | Vesper Buick | 6 | | | | |
| January 10 - St. Louis | January 10 - St. Louis | Pants Store F.C. | 2 | | | | |
| Pants Store F.C. | 2 | Pants Store F.C. | 2 | | | | |
| Pants Store F.C. | 2 | | | | | | | March 28 - St. Louis | March 28 - St. Louis |
| Wellston | 1 | | | | | | | March 28 - St. Louis | March 28 - St. Louis |
| Wellston | 1 | | | | | | | Ben Millers | 2 |
| January 17 - Detroit | January 17 - Detroit | | | | | | | | Ben Millers | 2 |
| January 17 - Detroit | January 17 - Detroit | | | | | | | Canadian Club | 0 |
| Gar Wood F.C. | 3 | | | | | | | Canadian Club | 0 |
| Gar Wood F.C. | 3 | February 7, 21 - Chicago | February 7, 21 - Chicago | | | | | | |
| Canadian Club | 4 | February 7, 21 - Chicago | February 7, 21 - Chicago | | | | | | |
| Canadian Club | 4 | Canadian Club | 1-6 | | | | | | |
| January 17 - Chicago | January 17 - Chicago | | Canadian Club | 1-6 | | | | | | |
| January 17 - Chicago | January 17 - Chicago | Olympia F.C. | 1-3 | | | | | | |
| Olympia F.C. | 1 | Olympia F.C. | 1-3 | | | | | | |
| Olympia F.C. | 1 | | | | March 1, 14, 21 - Chicago | March 1, 14, 21 - Chicago | | | | |
| Thistles F.C. | 0 | | | | March 1, 14, 21 - Chicago | March 1, 14, 21 - Chicago | | | |
| Thistles F.C. | 0 | | | | Canadian Club | 4$^b$ | | | |
| January 17/ February 7 | January 17/ February 7 | | | | | Canadian Club | 4$^b$ | | | |
| January 17/ February 7 | January 17/ February 7 | | | | Pullman F.C. | 1 | |
| Kenosha Reds | 2-0 | | | | Pullman F.C. | 1 | |
| Kenosha Reds | 2-0 | February 14 - Chicago | February 14 - Chicago | | | | | |
| Pullman F.C. | 2-4 | February 14 - Chicago | February 14 - Chicago | | | | |
| Pullman F.C. | 2-4 | Pullman F.C. | 3 | | | | |
| January 17, 24 - Chicago | January 17, 24 - Chicago | | Pullman F.C. | 3 | | | | |
| January 17, 24 - Chicago | January 17, 24 - Chicago | Bricklayers | 1 | | | | |
| Sparta ABA | 1 | Bricklayers | 1 | | | | |
| Bricklayers | 2 | | | | | | |
a) disqualified after protest b) aggregate after 3 games