Prelminary Round

The Preliminary Round is used to determine a team’s Group Stage level. It is a one game playoff played between teams that borderline two Cup divisions of play. About 40% of the teams play a match in the Preliminary Round.

Six Cup Age Groups (U14-U17 Boys and U14-U15 Girls)

State/Platinum: Winner to State/Premier Group and Loser to Platinum/Gold Group
Platinum/Silver: Winner to Platinum/Gold Group and Loser to Silver/Bronze Group

Four State Cup Divisions (U19 Boys and U16-U19 Girls)

State/Gold: Winner to State/Premier Group and Loser to Gold/Silver Group

Group Stage

All teams will play in three Group Stage matches to determine their Knockout Phase division of play.

Six Cup Divisions (U14-U17 Boys and U14-U15 Girls)

State/Premier: 1st and 2nd qualify for State and 3rd and 4th qualify for Premier
Platinum/Gold: 1st and 2nd qualify for Platinum and 3rd and 4th qualify for Gold
Silver/Bronze: 1st and 2nd qualify for Silver and 3rd and 4th qualify for Bronze

Four Cup Divisions (U19 Boys and U16-U19 Girls)

State/Premier: 1st and 2nd qualify for State and 3rd and 4th qualify for Premier
Gold/Silver: 1st and 2nd qualify for Gold and 3rd and 4th qualify for Silver

Knockout Phase

The Knockout Phase is the single elimination portion of the NorCal State Cup. It consists of the 3rd Round, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals.

Six Cup Divisions 

State Cup, Premier Cup, Platinum Cup, Gold Cup, Silver Cup, Bronze Cup

Four Cup Divisions

State Cup, Premier Cup, Gold Cup, and Silver Cup

The NorCal State Cup division winner is the only team that can be promoted as “State Champions.”

The Knockout Phase consists of the 3rd Round, Round of 16, Quarterfinals (hosted by NorCal), Semifinals (hosted by NorCal) and Finals (hosted by NorCal)