(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.

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