Cascadia Cup | Portland enters into third Cascadia Cup match of 2026

A quick primer on the historic, three-team competition between Portland, Vancouver and Seattle

Thursday's match between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC (7:30pm PT, Apple TV) marks the third match for Portland and first for Seattle in the quest for the 2026 Cascadia Cup. Though Portland sit in third place in the three-team competition, the July 16 match provides a key chance to gain points in both the Cup and MLS standings.

What is the Cascadia Cup?

Conceived by the supporters groups of Portland, Vancouver and Seattle as a Pacific Northwest rivalry competition, the Cascadia Cup was first contested in 2004 when all three teams were in the second division United Soccer League. Now in its 22nd year, regular-season matches between the teams contribute to a three-team table to determine a victor. The trophy itself is awarded to the winning team's supporters group.

This season, each team plays the other two twice, with total points earned through those matches determining the winner (3pts for a win, 1pt for a draw, 0pts for a loss).

The competition's history spans two levels of the North American soccer landscape with it being active during the three clubs' USL and MLS eras. After Seattle moved from the USL to MLS in 2009, Vancouver and Portland continued the competition while still in the USL until both teams joined MLS in 2011, returning it to a three-club rivalry.

Timbers History in the Cup

The Timbers last captured the trophy in 2024, marking Portland's fourth title in the club’s MLS history (2024, 2022, 2017, 2012) and sixth across all eras (2009 and 2010 in USL).