(by Steve Hopkins, graphic USATT)
Labor Day weekend is closing in fast, and that means it’s almost time for the five-star Butterfly 2026 US Open Teams Championships. Action gets underway September 5 at the John T. Rhodes Myrtle Beach Sports Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with this premiere event running through a full three days of team competition from September 5–7.
The tournament returns to the Grand Strand for a second straight year, and the entry list suggests the sequel won’t lack for depth. Entries include about a hundred teams with 17 players over 2500. At least on paper, “Texas Rocket” is the top team (with their top three players’ ratings adding up to 8206 – Sheng Xi, Jinbao Ma, and Jianliang Liu). OCTT, Princeton Revolution, Romanian TTC, and ICC are the other teams in the top five – with just a few points separating these elite teams.
Format-wise, this is a true team event. Each tie (outside the Division 1 playoffs) is contested in the classic 9-match Swaythling Cup format — A v X, B v Y, C v Z, B v X, A v Z, C v Y, B v Z, C v X, A v Y — with individual matches played best-of-five and in order. Once a team banks five wins, the tie is over. Division 1 shifts to the 5-match Swaythling format once the Single Elimination playoffs begin. Every team can expect to play somewhere between 7 and 10 ties across all three days, so there’s no shortage of table time for anyone who makes the trip.
The prize purse should keep the top division motivated: $10,000 to the Division 1 champion, $5,000 for the finalist, $2,000 for semifinalists, and $899 for quarterfinalists. Division 2 champions take home $2,000, with $1,000 for the runner-up, while Divisions 3 through 5 play for a free entry into the 2027 US Open Teams.
Butterfly serves as the official equipment provider, with play contested on Butterfly Centrefold 25 and Europa 25 tables, Nittaku Premium 3-star 40+ balls courtesy of Paddle Palace, and fully floored courts throughout the venue. The venue features elite accommodations for this elite event.
For those seeking some relaxation off the tables – Myrtle Beach offers 60 miles of beaches, amusement and rides, miniature golf, go-karts, 2,000 restaurants, and a city known for live music and festivals scattered across town. Players (and their families) have a real reason to turn this event into a vacation weekend.
The full Teams and Players entry lists, along with the tournament Prospectus, are available now at ButterflyOnline.com and omnipong.com.
Visit ButterflyOnline.com for the latest table tennis news and results.
