MLS NEXT Expands 2026-27 Season With More Teams and New Pathways

MLS NEXT is expanding its 2026-27 campaign, adding more teams to three of its marquee events while creating additional opportunities for players and clubs across North America.

The upcoming season will once again feature two competition tiers — the MLS NEXT Allstate Homegrown Division and the MLS NEXT Academy Division — designed to provide more pathways for elite players and clubs throughout the region.

With expanded fields at MLS NEXT FEST, the Generation adidas Cup and MLS NEXT Cup, the 2026-27 campaign is set to give more players opportunities to compete, be evaluated and take the next step in their development.

The first major event of the season will be MLS NEXT FEST, scheduled for December 2-13, 2026.

The event remains the largest youth soccer scouting and talent identification event in North America, bringing together more than 1,600 teams from at least 300 clubs across all six MLS NEXT age groups, from U13 through U19.

More than 32,000 players are expected to participate across approximately 2,400 matches, with hundreds of professional, national team and college scouts attending the event.

This year’s edition will also introduce a significant change for the Academy Division.

For the first time, the division will feature a play-in competition across all age groups, giving teams another opportunity to compete in high-quality, meaningful matches while creating an additional pathway toward the 2027 MLS NEXT Cup.

The expansion should provide more players with opportunities to perform in front of scouts while increasing the competitive importance of MLS NEXT FEST.

The 2027 Generation adidas Cup will take place from March 25 through April 2 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

One of the most prestigious youth tournaments in global soccer, the event will once again bring together MLS academies and top international club academies for a week of high-level competition.

The biggest change will come at the U16 level.

The U16 field will expand from 40 to 48 teams, ensuring that every group includes an international club.

That change will create additional opportunities for elite emerging players to test themselves against international opposition and compete on a global stage.

For MLS academy prospects, the Generation adidas Cup remains one of the most important opportunities of the year to measure themselves against some of the strongest youth programs from around the world.

The 2026-27 MLS NEXT season will conclude with the MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate, scheduled for June 5-13, 2027.

The postseason competition will bring together the top youth teams from the United States and Canada as they compete for an MLS NEXT championship.

The biggest expansion will come in the Homegrown Division, which will increase from 32 to 48 teams at the U15 through U19 age groups.

That means 16 additional teams in each of those age groups will have the opportunity to compete in MLS NEXT’s premier postseason event.

The expansion gives more clubs a chance to reach the championship stage while providing more players with exposure in one of the most important events on the MLS NEXT calendar.

The addition of more teams at three major events, combined with the new Academy Division play-in competition, creates additional pathways for clubs to reach the biggest stages of the season.

For players, that means more competitive matches, more opportunities to be evaluated by scouts and more chances to establish themselves against top opposition.

With MLS NEXT FEST opening the campaign, the Generation adidas Cup providing an international test and MLS NEXT Cup serving as the ultimate postseason goal, the 2026-27 season will offer more opportunities than ever for young players across North America to make an impact.