Copa DC: 30 Teams. One Unforgettable Weekend. A Different Vision for Youth Soccer.
In August 2026, Open Goal Project hosted our first-ever Copa DC—a 100% free-to-play youth soccer tournament and community festival at the Fields at RFK.
Over two unforgettable days, 30 youth teams from across DC, Maryland, and Virginia competed in six divisions while players, families, coaches, and community members came together to celebrate the game and the city we call home.
But Copa DC was about more than crowning champions. It was created to show what a youth soccer tournament can look like when cost barriers are removed, community is placed at the center, and every team has the opportunity to belong. Scroll down to relive Copa DC 2026 and to experience the weekend through the photos and videos that tell the whole story.
The Vision
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The Vision 〰️
Copa DC: A Different Kind of Youth Soccer Tournament
For more than a decade, Open Goal Project has worked to eliminate the financial and systemic barriers that prevent young people from accessing high-level soccer. In 2026, we expanded that commitment beyond our own programs by creating Copa DC: a local, accessible, and unifying tournament designed to bring together clubs, cultures, and communities that do not always have the opportunity to share the same field.
Like every Open Goal Project program, Copa DC was designed to remove all cost barriers.
The tournament was 100% free to play, with only a recommended donation for teams that could afford to contribute. While registration for a traditional youth soccer tournament can cost a club $750, $1,000, or more, every invited team had the same opportunity to participate in Copa DC—regardless of its financial resources. As our Open Goal Project Executive Director, Amir Lowery, explains, Copa DC was designed to remove barriers, create connections, and give more young people a place in the game.
COPA DC ON THE PITCH
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COPA DC ON THE PITCH 〰️
30 Teams From Across The DC Area
With the support of our sponsors and partners, the vision for Copa DC came to life on the field.
Across Saturday and Sunday, 30 youth teams from throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia competed across six divisions. From the opening whistle to the final championship match, the level of play, competition, and energy reflected everything we hoped this tournament could become.
A massive congratulations to our first COPA DC championships winners!
U10 Boys Premier: Washington Capital United WCU U10B Blue
U10 Boys Championship: Oyster Adams
U11 Boys: One Nation Soccer Academy U11 Pre MLS next
U15 Boys: Total Futbol Club Friends United U15 NAL
U14 Girls: DC Way Academy DCWA U14G - Elite
U15 Girls: 2012 District of Columbia Football Club Girls
Download all of the photos from Copa DC by clicking the button below:
When sharing your photos and videos, please tag @opengoalproject and our photographer, @colorfulaya, and use #COPADC so we can continue to celebrate the weekend together.
COPA DC: Made Possible Together
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COPA DC: Made Possible Together 〰️
The Partners Who Helped Make COPA DC A Reality
Copa DC was supported in part by a Community Development Grant from the DC Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs and a number of other sponsors and partners whose investment helped us turn the idea of a different kind of youth soccer tournament into a reality.
Hosting a high-quality tournament requires significant resources. Field rentals, referees, equipment, event operations, and the many logistical details that make a weekend safe, competitive, and memorable all come at a cost. In the traditional youth soccer system, those expenses are passed directly to participating clubs and families through registration fees that can reach $750, $1,000, or more for a single tournament. Those costs can determine which teams get to compete—and which are left on the outside looking in.
The strong support behind Copa DC allowed us to build the event differently. Instead of asking every team to carry the full financial burden, we were able to make participation 100% free, with only a recommended donation for clubs that had the resources to contribute. That model opened the tournament to teams that might otherwise have been unable to participate and created a field where clubs with different resources, backgrounds, and experiences could compete side by side.
This is what an inclusive youth soccer system requires: organizations, public agencies, businesses, and community partners choosing to invest in access together. Our sponsors did more than help fund a weekend. They helped ensure that a player’s opportunity to compete was not determined by what their family or club could afford. Their support demonstrated that when a community shares the cost, we can create high-quality soccer experiences that truly belong to everyone.
A massive thank you to all of our sponsors for making Copa DC 2026 possible!
Interested in helping us keep Copa DC accessible and bring it back in 2027?
Reach out about sponsoring Copa DC 2027.
DCFC Family Day
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DCFC Family Day 〰️
Our Biggest DCFC Family Day Yet
As matches continued throughout Saturday, Copa DC grew into much more than a tournament.
The fourth edition of DCFC Family Day—and our biggest yet—filled the Fields at RFK with amazing food, music, activities, and the unmistakable energy of our Open Goal Project community.
Our families brought their full commitment to the weekend, collaborating to serve delicious pupusas, tacos, hamburgers, and more. Every dollar raised through food sales went directly back to supporting Open Goal Project’s 100% free-to-play programming.
Our DCFC Family Days have always been powered by the generosity, talent, and belief of our DCFC families. Their incredible skill, energy, and willingness to go above and beyond transformed Copa DC into a true community celebration. We are deeply grateful to everyone who cooked, served, organized, volunteered, and helped make the day feel like home.
Beyond the Sidelines
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Beyond the Sidelines 〰️
A Community Festival Built Around the Beautiful Game
Between matches, families enjoyed face painting, inflatable human foosball, festival games, music, food, and activities for all ages.
WKYS 93.9 broadcast live from Copa DC on Saturday, bringing even more energy to Family Day.
On Sunday, Latino 104.1 joined us for a live broadcast as teams competed for Copa DC.
The music, entertainment, and activities helped create a tournament atmosphere that extended far beyond the field.
One Ball. One Field. A Place Where Everyone Belongs.
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One Ball. One Field. A Place Where Everyone Belongs. 〰️
Alongside Saturday’s youth tournament, Open Goal Project proudly partnered with the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs to host the DC Unity Community Cup—a celebration of the people, cultures, and communities that make Washington, DC, such a vibrant place to call home. The coed tournament brought together teams representing the Mayor’s Offices on African Affairs, Latino Affairs, Caribbean Community Affairs, and Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, along with members of the Metropolitan Police Department, for a day of competition, culture, and connection.
The DC Unity Community Cup
On the field, the teams competed. Off the field, they celebrated what brings our city together. When people from different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences share space, build relationships, and learn from one another, our entire community grows stronger. That is the power of the beautiful game: one ball, one field, and a place where everyone belongs.
A big congratulations to the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs, who finished the day as the DC Unity Community Cup champion, and a big thanks to every participating team and partner for helping us celebrate the unity of our city through soccer.
One Unforgettable Weekend
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One Unforgettable Weekend 〰️
Thank You for Making History With Us At Copa DC
Copa DC was a magical weekend made possible by every team, player, coach, family member, volunteer, sponsor, partner, vendor, and community member who showed up and brought this vision to life.
Together, we created a tournament that was competitive, joyful, vibrant, and truly accessible. We brought clubs and communities together that might not otherwise share the same field. We celebrated the beauty of Washington, DC. And we showed that removing barriers does more than create access—it builds belonging.
Thank you to all 30 participating teams and every club that took a chance on our first Copa DC.
We cannot wait to run it back in 2027. Even the field, change the game.
