The Soccer Tournament (TST) in 2026 will feature a third division, TST Mixed, teams of men and women playing together for a $1 million prize.
TST is slated to take place May 27-June 1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Jon Mugar, TST CEO said, “With TST Mixed, we will welcome 400 additional athletes to our festival and give fans three million-dollar moments. TST is America’s soccer tournament.”
Former U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo will lead two teams in the 2026 competition, her women's team, Solo FC and a mixed team.
“As a woman, a mother and an athlete I’ve always pushed for true equality in life and the world we live in,” said Hope Solo. “Athletics has always been at the forefront of that struggle, led by those courageous enough to stand at the tip of the spear and absorb the resistance one faces for tearing down barriers. In this spirit, I sincerely congratulate TST and especially Jon Mugar for being willing to take the leap! This tournament is not just historic, it’s heroic and I’m thrilled to be involved in it.”
The popular Welsh club Wrexham Red Dragons will compete in the mixed tournament and feature former Wrexham striker Steven Fletcher and current Wrexham women’s forward Rosie Hughes.
“We are excited to be playing in the inaugural TST Mixed Tournament and can't wait to return to Cary, NC, this summer,” said Wrexham AFC CEO Michael Williamson. “The Soccer Tournament has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2023, and having been part of the very first edition, and then the first women's tournament, it was only natural that we brought the Wrexham Red Dragons to the first ever Mixed Tournament too."
TST Mixed games will be 7-on-7, divided into four nine-minute quarters. Women will play the first and third quarters, while the men will play the second and fourth.
After the fourth quarter comes TST's unique ending, Target Score Time™, which ensures that every game ends on a goal. Play begins after the full-time whistle with a Target Score set at one goal more than the leading team’s total.
The match then enters an untimed final period that continues until one team wins by hitting the Target Score. Every three minutes a player from each team will be taken off the field until the Target Score is reached, allowing games to get down to as low as 2-on-2. Women will begin the Target Score Time period on the field at 7-on-7, and each stoppage of play will result in a switch between men and women (men will play 6v6, women will play 5v5, etc.) until the game is won.
Over three years of competition in Cary, TST has seen nearly 2,000 players representing 34 countries competing across the men’s and women’s fields. Notable past participants include Carli Lloyd, Sergio Agüero, Heather O’Reilly, Luis Nani, Hope Solo, JJ Watt, Steve Nash, Ali Krieger, and Pat McAfee, alongside entries from world-renowned clubs such as Atlético de Madrid, Inter Milan, Club América, Borussia Dortmund, West Ham United, and Bayern Munich.
