The Cary Cup

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The Cary Cup is SOLD OUT! We are now accepting Waitlist Applications for all divisions.

Run in coordination with TST (The Soccer Tournament), The Cary Cup is a one-of-a-kind event:

Build your own team in the nation’s first & only 7v7 youth soccer tournament with TST’s Target Score Time™!
Play where the pros play! Advance to The Cary Cup Finals at WakeMed Soccer Park to play on the same fields as TST’s biggest stars and celebrities!
See stars and celebrities in person at TST with an included ticket to TST (select Sessions) for each registered participant!
The Cary Cup will offer additional age groups and divisions for boys & girls this year!

What is Target Score Time™? Target Score Time ensures that every match ends on a GAME-WINNING GOAL! Once the full-time whistle blows, a Target Score is set, calculated from the leading team’s score plus one. Then, teams play an untimed final frame called Target Score Time until one of the two teams reaches the Target Score. To make that final period even more electrifying, a player from each team is removed every three minutes in Target Score Time.

Quick Facts

Dates:

Friday, May 29 – Sunday, May 31, 2026
Friday will be The Cary Cup Night at TST!
Games begin Saturday morning and conclude Sunday by 6 p.m.
4 Guaranteed Games
All rostered players + 2 coaches receive a complimentary multi-session ticket to TST!
Allows access to TST’s Men’s & Women’s games in Sessions 1-5 (Wednesday morning through Friday evening).

Divisions:

Boys & Girls
U10: New age group!
U11/U12/U13/U14: Competitive (Classic through Academy).
U15-U16: “Junior Varsity” combined age division.
U17-U19: “Varsity” combined (must be in high school).

The Cary Cup - 2026 Age Groups

What's New for 2026

Even more connections to TST!
Super Sunday! Youth Finals now played at WakeMed Soccer Park during TST’s Sunday Semifinals!
New opportunities to engage TST’s Pro Teams (stay tuned)!
Friday, May 29 will be “The Cary Cup Night” at TST!
All youth participants invited for special evening Friday.
TST will create unique moments & recognition for participants.
Adding U10 Boys & Girls divisions!

Team Registration

Gather your friends and build your own team!

Player passes are not required. Teams can be formed just for this event.
Teams may be submitted by Clubs, Team Manager, or by a Parent/Coach.
Minimum 10 players / Maximum 16 players. Max 2 Coaches.
We are honoring The Cary Cup’s 2025 Team Fee for a limited time only!
Apply by March 27 to be eligible for a Team Fee of $995!
Team Fee will increase to $1150 for applications received after March 27
Space is limited - Application does not guarantee acceptance.

All team applications received between February 26 – March 27 will be considered equally. Applications are not first come - first serve.
Space is limited and we expect registration to fill up. We strongly encourage teams to apply before the priority deadline of March 27.
No payments are due prior to your team being accepted.
You will not need to submit a roster to apply for a team. But you will need to describe the Age & Recommended Competitive Level for the team you are building.
Please provide as much info as possible about the level of players you are assembling.

New for 2026:

We will use TeamSideline for team applications, payments, rosters, & game scheduling.
The TeamSideline site will be updated February 26 to allow applications for The Cary Cup.

Team Applications Open: February 26, 2026
Priority Application Deadline: March 27, 2026
Team acceptances shared: Week of March 30, 2026

Hotel Information

TST Ticket Information

Once teams are accepted in The Cary Cup (early April) and have paid their team fee, they will unlock the following benefits:

Participants and 2 coaches will each receive a complimentary TST Session 1-5 pass (Wednesday morning through Friday night). Over 100 matches included!
Parents and siblings can purchase TST Session 1-5 passes for $125 (all-in pricing, a $205 value!)
Single-session TST tickets can be purchased at a 10% discount
The Cary Cup championship matches are hosted at TST on Sunday! Because of this unique opportunity to play alongside the pros, and in the middle of a global soccer festival, all participants and spectators for the Cary Cup finals are required to have a TST Session 8 ticket to gain admission to the venue. As such, please note:
- Finalists will each receive a complimentary Session 8 ticket, plus two additional tickets for parents or siblings to join them.
- Need more tickets? The stadium box office will have a special $20 ticket offer available onsite for Cary Cup families.
- Children under 3 are free and don’t need a ticket!

Tournament Venues

Additional Information

Age Groups

The Cary Cup is an ‘end-of-season’ tournament, so we are using the same Birth Year age groups as the current 2025-26 club season.
We anticipate age groups changing next year to Grade Year to match clubs.

Divisions / Brackets

You will not need to submit a roster to apply for a team.
But you will need to describe the Age & Competitive Level for the team you are creating.
Our goal is to create competitive divisions by matching teams of similar skill levels.
Please provide as much info as possible about the level of players you are assembling.
Details such as your players’ teams/clubs/leagues are helpful to know.
If in doubt on how to describe your team in the application, feel free to reach out to us at thecarycup@carync.gov