Pensacola FC won the 2026 TLFC National Championship

A few weeks ago, on July 26th, in a hard-fought 1-0 match vs Iron Rose FC, the Pelicans from P-Cola won the second-ever title match for the league. Defending champions, Met Oval Academy, Oklahoma United FC, Iron Rose FC, and Pensacola FC met up for the National Finals at the Norma Knobel Bunt Stadium in Denton, Texas. The Pelicans win also qualifies them for the first round proper of the US Open Cup, bypassing the upcoming qualifying rounds, set to begin in September.

While TLFC opens up for expansion opportunities and will resume a full calendar of fixtures in Spring 2027, the teams in Northern California are getting together again for their annual NorCal Fall Cup. The 2025 NorCal Cup Champions, San Ramon FC, are back and so are Napa Valley 1839, Sonoma County Sol, Fuego FC, CF San Raphael, and special guests, Academica SC - joining the fun from the USL League Two.

The Fall mini-season will include six matches for each participant - three at home and three on the road. It kicks off this coming weekend, starting Friday August 21st and Saturday, August 22nd.

With CF San Rafael, Napa Valley 1839 FC, San Ramon FC, and Academica SC all entering the US Open Qualifiers, TLFC organizers were conscious of the four USOC windows:

September 12-13
October 3-4
October 31- November 1
& November 21-22

Additionally, they’ll skip matches on Labor Day weekend, which is something the players and families probably appreciate!

The playoffs are scheduled for the weekend of October 24th and 25th - where the top four teams from the shortened league season will immediately clash in knockout semifinals. The NorCal Cup Final will be held at the home ground of the highest seed left and will be on the weekend of November 7th.

by Josh Duder