About
US Youth Soccer National League offers league competition through both club-based league play and team-based league play, along with national events and postseason competition. Teams take part in Winter Events, The NL Cup, playoffs, and finals as part of the overall league structure. The program includes regionalized league competition with multiple tiers and uses standards for participation for both club divisions and team divisions.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
US Youth Soccer National League has been in operation for 18 seasons and includes 54 state associations, 1,000+ clubs, 3,700+ teams, and 75,000+ players. Club divisions give like-minded clubs a platform to compete in an advanced league setting, while team divisions place individual teams in high-level competition in different geographical areas across the country. Any team can earn its place into the leagues and move forward on pathways into national events and postseason competition, where every team is guaranteed to play meaningful games at national events.
The league’s club-based structure allows clubs to participate in all six age groups from 13U through 19U, with Premier 1 as the highest level of club-based league competition. Participating clubs must field a competitive team in each age group, meet all required hosting standards, and demonstrate a commitment to creating a safe and positive environment for every player. There is ongoing club evaluation for meeting standards and for potential elevation to Premier 1, and an annual application window for new clubs to apply for acceptance into NL Club programming takes place around January in advance of the next youth soccer seasonal year.
For team-based league competition, Premier 1 is the highest level, and Premier 1 division winners receive guaranteed acceptance to Winter Events and advance to The NL Cup as postseason competition. Premier 2 is available where applicable, often with more targeted geographically based divisions, and top finishers in Premier 2 have promotion available to Premier 1. Qualifiers programming may take place within a state or other limited geographic area, and promotion is available from Qualifiers to the next tier, either Premier 1 or Premier 2.
Winter Events take place in November and January, and each attending team plays at one Winter Event. Winter Events are available only to teams in the National League, with acceptance based on a team application that considers the team’s history of on-field performance. Winter Events use group play with one three-day event per participating team and provide direct qualification to the USYS National Championships or The NL Cup.
The NL Cup is a postseason competition for the top teams in the National League. Playoffs in June consist of four geographically focused events, each taking place over three days, and each playoff event features two groups of four teams. Winners of the four-team groups advance to The NL Cup Finals, which are held in July and feature eight teams per age group (14U–19U) for each gender. The NL Cup Finals use a knockout tournament format in which teams play three games over three days, and winners of the championship match are crowned The NL Cup champions. The program is part of US Youth Soccer Partners and uses the tagline “Strength. Stability. Structure.”
Last updated January 8, 2026.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
US Youth Soccer National League has been in operation for 18 seasons and includes 54 state associations, 1,000+ clubs, 3,700+ teams, and 75,000+ players. Club divisions give like-minded clubs a platform to compete in an advanced league setting, while team divisions place individual teams in high-level competition in different geographical areas across the country. Any team can earn its place into the leagues and move forward on pathways into national events and postseason competition, where every team is guaranteed to play meaningful games at national events.
The league’s club-based structure allows clubs to participate in all six age groups from 13U through 19U, with Premier 1 as the highest level of club-based league competition. Participating clubs must field a competitive team in each age group, meet all required hosting standards, and demonstrate a commitment to creating a safe and positive environment for every player. There is ongoing club evaluation for meeting standards and for potential elevation to Premier 1, and an annual application window for new clubs to apply for acceptance into NL Club programming takes place around January in advance of the next youth soccer seasonal year.
For team-based league competition, Premier 1 is the highest level, and Premier 1 division winners receive guaranteed acceptance to Winter Events and advance to The NL Cup as postseason competition. Premier 2 is available where applicable, often with more targeted geographically based divisions, and top finishers in Premier 2 have promotion available to Premier 1. Qualifiers programming may take place within a state or other limited geographic area, and promotion is available from Qualifiers to the next tier, either Premier 1 or Premier 2.
Winter Events take place in November and January, and each attending team plays at one Winter Event. Winter Events are available only to teams in the National League, with acceptance based on a team application that considers the team’s history of on-field performance. Winter Events use group play with one three-day event per participating team and provide direct qualification to the USYS National Championships or The NL Cup.
The NL Cup is a postseason competition for the top teams in the National League. Playoffs in June consist of four geographically focused events, each taking place over three days, and each playoff event features two groups of four teams. Winners of the four-team groups advance to The NL Cup Finals, which are held in July and feature eight teams per age group (14U–19U) for each gender. The NL Cup Finals use a knockout tournament format in which teams play three games over three days, and winners of the championship match are crowned The NL Cup champions. The program is part of US Youth Soccer Partners and uses the tagline “Strength. Stability. Structure.”
Last updated January 8, 2026.
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