MLS NEXT Events

2026-27 MLS NEXT Schedule: Key Dates to Know

The 2026-27 MLS NEXT season will be the seventh and largest in league history, expanding national competition and player development opportunities across North America's top youth soccer platform.

2026-27 MLS NEXT Season Event Schedule

_{(asterisk denoting that is subject to change)}

MLS NEXT Talent ID Event 

MLS NEXT will host Talent ID events from October 9-12 across 13 MLS markets, giving more than 1,300 top prospects the ability to showcase their skills at MLS club training facilities in front of MLS NEXT coaches, as well as professional and national team scouts. 

The nationwide initiative will leverage TAKA, a soccer scouting video platform, along with MLS club scouting networks to identify standout players from across the country. Invited prospects will participate in a professional training environment designed to mirror the experience of training like a pro.

2026 MLS NEXT Fest is the largest youth soccer scouting and recruiting event in North America. 

Held from December 2-13 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona, the showcase event will feature more than 1,600 teams from at least 300 clubs in all six MLS NEXT age groups (U13 to U19). The 12-day event will include more than 32,000 players competing in 2,400 matches in front of hundreds of professional, national team and college scouts.

One of the most prestigious youth tournaments in global soccer, the 2027 Generation adidas Cup will see MLS academies and top international club academies going head-to-head at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, from March 25-April 2, 2027.

MLS NEXT Flex presented by Allstate is the final qualifying competition for 2027 MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate and will be held at the National Training Center in Atlanta from April 29-May 4, 2027. Teams in each age group are split into groups of four and are seeded based on their performance in league matches from September 2026 to March 2027. The winner of each group will automatically clinch a spot in 2027 MLS NEXT Cup.

The culminating event of the season, 2027 MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate will feature the top MLS NEXT teams from the regular season competing for a championship across six age groups: U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, and U19. The event will be held in Cincinnati from June 5-13, 2027. 

The Allstate Homegrown Division will expand from 32 to 48 teams in each of the U15 through U19 age groups, with teams qualifying based on league play, the Pro Player Pathway competition or MLS NEXT Flex presented by Allstate. In each age group within the MLS NEXT Academy Division, 20 teams will qualify for MLS NEXT Cup through league play (QoP for U13/U14), 2 teams will qualify through the MLS NEXT Cup Play-In, and 10 teams will qualify by winning one of the MLS NEXT Cup Qualifier events.

Across both divisions at the U13 and U14 age groups, teams will qualify based on their Quality of Play standings.

MLS NEXT Cup will also welcome back a showcase competition, providing rising juniors and seniors additional opportunities to compete in front of professional, national team and college scouts while bringing an even broader group of MLS NEXT players together for the culminating event of the season.

2026-27 MLS NEXT Cup Qualifiers 

Utah Regional – Northern California Coast / Southern California / Washington U15-U19 Only 

• October 9-12 – Epic Sports Park – Provo, UT  

Roseville Regional – Northern California Redwood & Washington 

• October 30-November 1 – Placer Valley Soccer Complex – Roseville, CA  

Southeast Regional – South / South Carolina / Virginia 

• November 20-23 – Bryant Park Truist Soccer Complex – Browns Summit, NC  

Florida Regional – North Carolina / Sunshine North / Sunshine South 

• March 5-8 – Premier Sports Campus – Lakewood Ranch, FL 

Scottsdale Regional – Desert & Pioneer 

• Scottsdale Sports Complex, Bell 94 Sports Complex, Reata Sports Complex – Scottsdale, AZ 

• March 26-29: U15-U19 I February 26-March 1: U13-U14 

Ohio Regional – Great Lakes North & Great Lakes South 

• April 9-12 – Voice of America Athletic Complex – West Chester, OH  

Mesa Regional – Mountain / Oregon / Southern California 

• April 23-26 – Arizona Athletic Grounds – Mesa, AZ 

New Jersey Regional – Mid-Atlantic & New England 

• April 23-26 – Tuckahoe Turf Farms – Hammonton, NJ 

Kansas Regional – Heartland & North 

• April 23-26 – Compass Mineral Sporting Fields – Kansas City, KS & Central Bank Sporting Complex – Kansas City, MO 

Hammonton Regional – Garden State & Northeast  

• April 30-May 3 – Tuckahoe Turf Farms – Hammonton, NJ

MLS NEXT Cup Qualifier- Regional Tournaments

Ten regional tournaments featuring more than 1,600 teams will serve as Academy Division qualifying competitions for MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate. In addition to providing a pathway to the championship event, these tournaments will serve as marquee talent identification opportunities, providing college, professional, and national team scouts with the opportunity to evaluate top players from across the Academy Division.