2025-26 MLS NEXT Season: A Look Ahead at the Exciting Events and Competitions
The upcoming 2025-26 MLS NEXT season will be the sixth installment of the program, featuring the best young players in North America participating in league matches and five major national and international events. The MLS NEXT Academy Division will see a record number of 273 clubs, 2,189 teams, and over 43,000 players competing in more than 28,000 matches across the continent.
The highlight of the season will be the 2025 MLS NEXT Fest, the largest youth soccer scouting and recruiting event in North America. Taking place from December 4-15 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds and Reach 11 Sports Complex in Mesa, Arizona, the event will host over 1,000 teams from at least 200 clubs across all six MLS NEXT age groups (U13 to U19). Professional, national team, and college scouts will evaluate more than 30,000 players in 1,850 matches during the 12-day event.
MLS NEXT Fest will also serve as a qualifying opportunity for MLS NEXT Elite Academies to earn a spot in the prestigious 2026 Generation adidas Cup. This renowned youth tournament will feature MLS academies competing against top international club academies at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., from March 27 to April 4, 2026. The tournament will also include the Girls Division, where international club teams will face off against Girls Academy teams.
The MLS NEXT Flex competition will be the final qualifying event for the 2026 MLS NEXT season, taking place at the Toyota Soccer Complex in Frisco, Texas from April 23-28, 2026. Teams will compete in groups of four based on their performance in league matches from September 2025 to March 2026, with the group winners securing a spot in the 2026 MLS NEXT Cup.
The pinnacle of the season, the 2026 MLS NEXT Cup, will feature the top teams from the regular season vying for championships in each age group (U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, and U19) within the MLS NEXT Homegrown Division. The event will be held at the Regional Athletics Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah from May 23-31, 2026, with all championship matches taking place at Real Salt Lake’s America First Field.
In the Homegrown Division for the U15 through U19 age groups, 32 teams will qualify based on their league performance, the Pro Player Pathway, or through MLS NEXT Flex. Additionally, 32 teams in the U13 and U14 age groups will compete in the Championship and Premier brackets. The MLS NEXT Academy Division will see 16 clubs qualify through league play and 16 finalists from MLS NEXT Cup Qualifier events competing for titles in Salt Lake City.
To showcase the talents of the top MLS NEXT players, 44 players from the 2025-26 season will participate in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate during MLS All-Star Week. The East vs. West matchup will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, the host city of the 2026 MLS All-Star Game, with players engaging in various events and activities leading up to the game.