SquadoraGuide
The US youth soccer pyramid, explained (2026-27)
Every pyramid picture online looks a little different, because there isn't an official one. Here's who runs which league, how the levels stack up for boys and girls, what changed for 2026-27, and the one question to ask a club before you pay.
Facts as of October 20, 2026. Every line names the page it comes from.
In short
- There's no official pyramid. This page shows each level with the page it comes from.
- For 2026-27 the National 1 League replaces the NPL, and most leagues switch to school-year age groups.
- Check your child's age group again before tryouts. It can change this season.
- Ask any club for one total for the year, travel included, before you sign.
- Your state's association and leagues are on the Soccer Atlas, one page per state.
Why the pictures disagree
MLS, US Club Soccer, US Youth Soccer and the independent leagues each run their own competitions. Where they sit next to each other is partly fact and partly opinion. This page keeps the two apart: every level names its source, and where people argue about the order, it says so.
- MLS NEXT, ECNL Boys
- ECNL Regional League, new MLS NEXT tier
- National 1 League
- State leagues, recreation, AYSO
- ECNL Girls, Girls Academy
- ECNL Regional League
- National 1 League
- State leagues, recreation, AYSO
Top level first. The order of the two girls' leagues at the top is argued about.
National top
BoysMLS NEXT, the Homegrown Division and the Academy Division. ECNL Boys.
GirlsECNL Girls. Girls Academy.
MLS NEXT's 2025-26 season has 29 MLS academies and 244 Elite Academies, 2,189 teams and over 43,000 players in the US and Canada.
The ECNL was founded in 2009 with girls' programming first; ECNL Boys started with 57 clubs.
Girls Academy has over 120 member clubs in 2025-26, with teams from U13 to U19 in eleven conferences.
Which girls' league sits highest is argued about, so they're shown side by side, not ranked.
Second national tier
BoysECNL Regional League. The MLS NEXT tier added in 2025.
GirlsECNL Regional League.
National 1 League
BoysNational 1 League.
GirlsNational 1 League.
State and local
BoysState leagues and cups. Town and recreation programs, including AYSO.
GirlsState leagues and cups. Town and recreation programs, including AYSO.
What changed for 2026-27
The National 1 League replaces the NPL and US Youth Soccer's National League. The 2026 NPL Finals were the NPL's last event, after 15 seasons.
What it means for you: if your child's team played in the NPL or US Youth Soccer's National League, ask the club where it plays in 2026-27. The National 1 League is where both leagues went, and clubs that do well there can move up to the ECNL Regional League.
US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer and AYSO move age groups to the school year, August 1 to July 31, starting with the 2026-27 season.
What it means for you: most players now play with their school class. A child born in the fall can land in a different age group than last season, so check the new group before tryouts and before you pay for a team.
Girls Academy moves to the same August 1 to July 31 cycle, with team formation starting in August 2026.
What it means for you: a girl's age group in Girls Academy now matches the one used by US Youth Soccer and US Club Soccer leagues, so moving between them no longer shifts her up or down a year.
MLS NEXT splits: the Academy Division moves to the school year, and the Homegrown Division keeps birth years, January 1 to December 31.
What it means for you: a boy in MLS NEXT can sit in a different age group depending on the division. Ask the club whether the team plays Homegrown, grouped by birth year, or Academy, grouped by school year.
What it costs
No survey we trust puts a price on each level, so we won't guess one. What is measured: the average US sports family spent $1,016 on one child's main sport in 2024, up 46% since 2019, and soccer parents' spending rose 69% in five years.
What it means for you: the price of a season comes from the club, the travel and the extras, not from the league's name. Two teams at the same level can cost very different amounts, so compare the clubs you're choosing between, not the levels.
Before you commit, ask the club for one total for the year, travel included. If they can't give you one, that tells you something too.
How to choose
The league name on the shirt matters less than it sounds. Ask where your kid gets good coaching, real minutes and a drive your family can keep up with for ten months. Start where they'll grow; the levels above are there for the players who need them.
Travel and club teams are less common than they look online: 17% of sports parents name them as where their child mainly plays, against 43% for community teams.
What it means for you: you don't have to start at the top for your child to get good soccer. Most kids play on community teams, and a team close to home with good coaching and real playing time beats a long drive to a famous badge.
Find your state
The Soccer Atlas shows each state's US Youth Soccer association, its National 1 League district and its MLS NEXT clubs.
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Questions people ask
What is the highest level of youth soccer in the US?
For boys, MLS NEXT and ECNL Boys run the top national leagues. For girls, ECNL Girls and Girls Academy do. Which one sits highest is argued about, so this page shows them side by side.
What is the National 1 League?
The top team-based competition in US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer, starting in 2026-27: one national platform tied to the ECNL, in eight conferences. Clubs that do well can move up to the ECNL Regional League.
What happened to the NPL?
The 2026 NPL Finals were its last event. The NPL and US Youth Soccer's National League combined into the National 1 League.
What changed with age groups for 2026-27?
Most leagues now group players by school year, August 1 to July 31, instead of birth year. MLS NEXT's Homegrown Division keeps birth years.