Squadora™Guide
The 2026-27 youth soccer season calendar, month by month
Fall 2026 to summer 2027, laid out so a family or a club can plan around it. Every date and city below was read on the organizer's own site, and anything not published yet says so.
Facts as of November 3, 2026. Every line names the page it comes from.
In short
- June 2027 holds most of the finals: MLS NEXT Cup, the ECNL playoffs and the Girls Academy Summer Playoffs.
- MLS NEXT Fest runs December 2 to 13, 2026, in Mesa, Arizona.
- The US Youth Soccer National Championships run July 15 to 25, 2027, in Utah.
- ECNL National Finals dates and several other events are not announced yet.
How this calendar works
Each organizer publishes its own dates, and they sit on different sites. This page puts them in one calendar, in order. It lists events with a published date, names the source for each, and says "not announced yet" where there is no date. It does not rank leagues.
September 2026
The season starts and the first ECNL weekends run.
October 2026
Scouting weekends and the first MLS NEXT Cup qualifiers.
MLS NEXT Talent ID runs October 9 to 12, 2026, at MLS club training facilities in 13 markets.
The MLS NEXT Cup qualifier in Provo, Utah runs October 9 to 12, 2026, and the one in Roseville, California runs October 30 to November 1, 2026.
November 2026
Girls Academy East Regional and the ECNL Phoenix weekends.
The Girls Academy East Regional runs November 6 to 9, 2026, at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
ECNL Girls Phoenix, Arizona (U16 to U18/19) runs November 13 to 15, 2026. ECNL Boys Phoenix (U16 to U18/19) runs November 20 to 22, 2026.
The MLS NEXT Cup qualifier in Browns Summit, North Carolina runs November 20 to 23, 2026.
December 2026
MLS NEXT Fest and the Girls Academy winter event.
MLS NEXT Fest runs December 2 to 13, 2026, at Arizona Athletic Grounds and Red Mountain Park in Mesa, Arizona, for U13 to U19. MLS describes it as the largest youth soccer scouting and recruiting event in North America.
The Girls Academy winter event and Champions Cup group stage run December 3 to 9, 2026, at Surf Sports Park in San Diego, California. The winter event is for U15 to U19 and the Champions Cup for U13 to U19.
ECNL Boys South Carolina (U16 to U18/19) runs December 4 to 6, 2026, in Greer. ECNL Girls Florida Fall (U16 to U18/19) runs December 5 to 7, 2026, in Sanford.
January 2027
ECNL winter weekends in Florida and Nevada.
February 2027
ECNL Girls in Texas and Florida, Girls Academy West Regional.
The Girls Academy West Regional runs February 5 to 7, 2027, at Reach 11 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
ECNL Girls Texas Winter (U14 to U18/19) runs February 13 to 15, 2027, in Dallas. ECNL Girls Florida Spring (U15 to U18/19) runs February 26 to 28, 2027, in Lakewood Ranch.
March 2027
Girls Academy Champions Cup Finals and the Generation adidas Cup.
The Girls Academy Champions Cup Finals run March 4 to 9, 2027, at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for U13 to U19.
The MLS NEXT Cup qualifier in Lakewood Ranch, Florida runs March 5 to 8, 2027. The Scottsdale qualifier for U15 to U19 runs March 26 to 29, 2027.
April 2027
A busy month for MLS NEXT Cup qualifiers.
The Girls Academy spring event runs April 1 to 5, 2027, at Bryan Park in Greensboro, North Carolina, for U15 to U19.
ECNL Girls Phoenix Spring (U13 to U17) runs April 2 to 4, 2027. ECNL Boys Indianapolis (U15 to U18/19) runs April 9 to 11, 2027. ECNL Boys Texas (U13 to U14) runs April 23 to 25, 2027, in Round Rock.
MLS NEXT Cup qualifiers: Ohio, April 9 to 12; Mesa, Arizona, New Jersey and Kansas, April 23 to 26; Hammonton, New Jersey, April 30 to May 3, 2027.
May 2027
ECNL spring weekends and the Pre-ECNL Champions Cup.
ECNL Girls South Carolina (U12 to U15) and ECNL Boys North Carolina Spring (U13 to U14, in Matthews) both run May 7 to 9, 2027.
ECNL Girls North Carolina Spring (U15 to U17, Greensboro) and ECNL Boys Virginia (U15 to U17, Richmond) both run May 29 to 31, 2027.
June 2027
Where most of the big finishes land, which is why searches peak now.
The ECNL International Tournament runs June 1 to 4, 2027 (boys June 1 to 2, girls June 3 to 4) at Everton's Finch Farm in the United Kingdom.
MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate runs June 5 to 13, 2027, in Cincinnati, Ohio, for U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19. MLS lists these 2027 dates as subject to change.
ECNL Regional League playoffs: West, June 10 to 15 in Norco, California; South, June 11 to 15 in Fort Worth, Texas; Central (East), June 18 to 23 in Rockford, Illinois; Southeast, June 18 to 23 in Greensboro, North Carolina; East, June 25 to 30 in Somerset, New Jersey; Central (West), June 25 to 30 in St. Louis, Missouri.
ECNL Conference League playoffs: West, June 11 to 15 in Davis, California; South, June 11 to 15 in Frisco, Texas; Central, June 18 to 22 in St. Louis, Missouri; East, June 25 to 29 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Girls Academy Summer Playoffs run June 18 to 23, 2027, in Norco, California. U13, U14 and U19 play playoffs only; U15, U16 and U17 play the full event and playoffs.
July 2027
The Girls Academy Finals and the US Youth Soccer National Championships.
The Girls Academy Finals run July 8 to 11, 2027, at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Not announced yet
ECNL National Finals, Regional League Finals and Conference League Finals: ECNL says details will be announced soon. No dates or places are published.
MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate: listed as TBA 2027, place also to be announced.
MLS NEXT Cup Play-In (it sends two Academy Division teams to the Cup): no date or place is published.
How to use it
Age groups are listed as the organizer writes them. Since 2026-27, most leagues use the school-year cycle, August 1 to July 31, so check your child's age group first. Then pick the weekends that matter to your team and ask the club for the travel plan and one total for the year.
The age-group question comes first. See the US youth soccer pyramid guide for how the leagues stack up and what changed this season. Read the pyramid guide.
Questions people ask
When are the ECNL playoffs in 2027?
The ECNL Boys and Girls National Playoffs run June 25 to July 2, 2027. Boys play in Seattle, Washington and girls in San Diego, California. The Regional League playoffs run June 10 to 30, 2027, in six regions, and the Conference League playoffs run June 11 to 29, 2027, in four. National Finals dates and places are not announced yet.
Where are the ECNL national playoffs in 2027?
Boys play at Sixty Acres Park in Seattle, Washington. Girls play in San Diego, California. The league's announcement and its girls schedule page spell the San Diego park name differently, so check the league's schedule page for the field before you travel.
What is the ECNL schedule for 2026-27?
ECNL runs event weekends from August 2026 through May 2027, then Regional League, Conference League and National Playoffs in June and early July 2027. The month-by-month list is on this page. Match-by-match schedules for each team are on the league's own schedule pages for boys, girls, Regional League and Pre-ECNL.
When is MLS NEXT Cup 2027?
MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate runs June 5 to 13, 2027, in Cincinnati, Ohio, for U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19. MLS marks its 2027 dates as subject to change.
When is MLS NEXT Fest 2026?
MLS NEXT Fest runs December 2 to 13, 2026, at Arizona Athletic Grounds and Red Mountain Park in Mesa, Arizona, for U13 to U19.
What is the MLS NEXT schedule for 2026-27?
The season kicks off September 5, 2026. The national events are Talent ID (October 9 to 12), MLS NEXT Fest (December 2 to 13), the Generation adidas Cup (March 25 to April 2, 2027), MLS NEXT Flex (April 29 to May 4) and MLS NEXT Cup (June 5 to 13). Ten Cup qualifier events run from October 2026 to May 2027.
How does a team get into MLS NEXT Cup?
For the Academy Division in U15 to U19, 20 teams qualify through league play, two through the Cup Play-In and 10 by winning a Cup qualifier event. Homegrown Division teams qualify through league play, the Pro Player Pathway competition or Flex. U13 and U14 teams qualify on Quality of Play standings.
When are the US Youth Soccer National Championships in 2027?
July 15 to 25, 2027, in Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah. Teams advance by winning their State Cup. The schedule for each age group is listed as to be announced, and the page does not list regional championships for 2027.
When are the Girls Academy championships in 2027?
The Champions Cup Finals run March 4 to 9, 2027, in Bradenton, Florida. The Summer Playoffs run June 18 to 23 in Norco, California, and the Girls Academy Finals run July 8 to 11 in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
What are the big national youth soccer tournaments in 2026-27?
The ones with published dates are MLS NEXT Fest and MLS NEXT Cup, the ECNL National Playoffs, the Girls Academy Champions Cup Finals and Finals, the Generation adidas Cup and the US Youth Soccer National Championships. They are all listed by month on this page, with the date and city from each organizer.
Why do searches for these events peak in May and June?
Most finals land then: MLS NEXT Cup, the ECNL Regional League, Conference League and National Playoffs, and the Girls Academy Summer Playoffs all fall between June 5 and July 2, 2027.
Keep reading
- The US youth soccer pyramid, explained (2026-27)
- Girls youth soccer pyramid, 2026-27
- The Soccer Atlas, one page per state
If you run a club, Squadora puts your schedules and the season in one place for every family. Pick the weekends above, then share the plan with your club.
Updated November 3, 2026