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# $1.1 Million on the Line as U.S. Soccer Unveils the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup
- URL: https://www.fortyonemag.com/arthur-m-blank-crest-cup-1-1-million/
- Published: 2026-10-15T15:52:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-15T15:52:50.000Z
- Author: staff
- Tags: News, Crest Cup, U.S. Soccer, moves, Women's Soccer, NWSL, Concacaf W Champions Cup, Arthur M. Blank

[U.S. Soccer](https://www.fortyonemag.com/tag/u-s-soccer/) announced the Arthur M. Blank [Crest Cup](https://www.fortyonemag.com/tag/crest-cup/) on Wednesday in Atlanta. It is a national knockout tournament for women's clubs, and it will crown one champion across the American women's game.

Men's clubs have had the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup since 1914\. Women's clubs have never had an equivalent. The Crest Cup fills that gap.

## The details

- Format: single-elimination knockout, ending in a championship final
- Prize: $1.1 million to the winner, which U.S. Soccer calls a record
- Stakes: a pathway to qualify for the Concacaf W Champions Cup
- Start date: not set yet, pending talks with stakeholders

## Who could play

The U.S. has multiple professional women's leagues and hundreds of amateur teams. Until now, those clubs had no official stage to play each other. U.S. Soccer compares the new competition to England's Women's FA Cup.

The federation has not said which leagues will enter or how teams will qualify. Those answers will shape what kind of tournament this becomes.

The W Champions Cup is the region's top women's club competition. A cup run would give American clubs another way in besides league play.

## Blank's role

U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said the tournament will bring people together and attract new investment to the women's game. CEO JT Batson credited Blank's support and said the goal is to reach new communities as well as crown a champion.

Blank called the competition "an important step forward for the women's game."

His name already sits on U.S. Soccer's national training center in Georgia. He owns Atlanta United and the Atlanta Falcons, and his group was awarded Atlanta's NWSL expansion club, [Atlanta City FC](https://www.atlcty.com/?ref=fortyonemag.com), set to debut in 2028.