It’s that time of the year again as NorCal Premier Soccer’s U14-U19 State Cup group stage begins this weekend with the first group game scheduled for teams all around the state.

More than 1,200 teams have entered 50 different levels of competition, making NorCal’s State Cup one of the largest in the country.

The competition will culminate in the State Cup finals June 3 and 4 at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, making NorCal’s structure unique – most State Cups take place over the course of just a few weekends, rather than over the course of an entire year.

Several clubs have already played in this year’s State Cup, with preliminary round games in August determining group placement for some.

From here, each team will play three total group stage games which will determine which knockout round bracket they will qualify for.

The group stage is scheduled to conclude October 16. Unlike previous years, teams may now begin the following round this calendar year, with November 6 planned as the round of 32 start date.

For more information about the U14-U19 State Cup, click here. For a comprehensive list of important dates, click here.