September 22 – MLS NEXT continues to expand at a pace that mirrors the rapid growth of the game across North America.
With the addition of the MLS NEXT Academy Division, the programme will reach unprecedented scale in 2025-26, featuring 273 clubs, 2,189 teams, and more than 43,000 players competing in over 28,000 matches.
What began as an ambitious effort to provide elite youth players with a structured pathway to the professional game has now become the largest and most competitive youth soccer platform on the continent, and a huge money earner for many of the clubs involved
The season begins in December with MLS NEXT Fest in Arizona, the centerpiece event of the calendar and the largest youth scouting and recruiting showcase in North America.
More than 1,000 teams from 200-plus clubs will take the field, representing every MLS NEXT age group from U13 to U19. Over 12 days, 30,000 players will compete in nearly 2,000 matches under the watchful eye of scouts from professional clubs, national teams, and leading college programs. For many, it is the first step toward earning a place at the sport’s highest levels.
From there, the focus shifts to the Generation adidas Cup at the IMG Academy in Florida, where MLS academies square off against some of the best youth programs in the world.
The 2026 edition will once again include a Girls Division, underscoring the league’s commitment to developing talent across the game. Later in the spring, MLS NEXT Flex in Texas will provide teams with one last chance to book their place at the MLS NEXT Cup, the season’s ultimate proving ground. Staged in Salt Lake City for the first time, the Cup will crown champions across six age groups, competing at Real Salt Lake’s America First Field.
The journey ends for the wanna-be hopefuls with the MLS NEXT All-Star Game, where 44 of the top performers from the season will showcase their abilities during MLS All-Star Week.
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