The tournament was promoted under NJPW's North American branch, New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America.

Matches are contested through NJPW's weekly television show, Strong.

[1] The event then became an annual tradition for NJPW and was held every year around mid-March to mid-April, with the winner receiving a match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

After the 2020 edition of the New Japan Cup was delayed until June due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[2][3][4] it was announced during a press conference on July 31 that the New Japan Cup USA would take place from August 7 to August 21 of that year, with the winner receiving a shot at the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

[12] Originally, the winner of the tournament would receive an IWGP United States Championship title match, but this was changed when NJPW revealed the Strong Openweight Championship on April 2 and announced that the winner will become its inaugural champion instead.