MLS NEXT Announces New Homegrown & Academy Divisions

MLS NEXT just shook up youth soccer in a major way by creating two brand-new divisions that will give more than 42,000 young players across North America better chances to chase their soccer dreams.

TL;DR:

The Homegrown Division keeps the elite level with 153 top clubs and 17,000+ players competing in their traditional MLS NEXT season
New Academy Division (MLS NEXT 2) adds 230 clubs and 25,000 players with regional focus and high school soccer allowed
Both divisions compete for the same MLS NEXT Cup championship and major national events

Slightly confusing (as is with all of youth soccer in the U.S.), I’ll try my best to explain it logically.

The Homegrown Division: Elite Player Development

The MLS NEXT Homegrown Division remains “the pinnacle of youth player development in North America.” This elite platform includes 153 clubs – all 30 MLS academies plus 123 MLS NEXT Elite Academies – with more than 17,000 players total.

The Homegrown Division runs a full 10 months. The top teams from each age group at every club compete in this division, creating the highest level of competition available to youth players.

Players in this division compete in several major national events throughout the year:

MLS NEXT Fest: Winter showcase event
Generation adidas Cup: International competition featuring MLS academies, select MLS NEXT Elite Academies, and top global club teams
MLS NEXT Flex: Qualifying event for MLS NEXT Cup
MLS NEXT Cup: Season-ending playoffs and championship
MLS NEXT All-Star Game: Features 44 top players during MLS All-Star Week

The division also provides coaching education, talent identification programs, and high-performance training. According to MLS NEXT, this division “provides a direct and proven pathway to the professional game.”

The Homegrown Division’s structure is what we are used to when it comes to MLS NEXT. MLS Academies and Non-MLS Academies compete during the season and provide opportunities to qualify for Flex.

The Academy Division: Expanding Access

MLS NEXT launched the Academy Division (MLS NEXT 2) for the 2025-26 season to create “opportunities for all players to reach their highest potential.” This new division brings together about 230 clubs and 25,000 players.

The Academy Division includes additional teams from current MLS NEXT clubs plus more than 100 newly admitted clubs. Unlike the Homegrown Division, Academy Division players can participate in high school soccer.

The regular season focuses on regional play and works around high school calendars while maintaining elite development standards. Five different operators manage the division across North America:

National Academy League (NAL) by 3Step Soccer
Elite Academy League (EAL)
Sporting Development League (SDL)
Cobalt Sports
Cal North Soccer Association

All operators follow MLS NEXT’s technical standards and program guidelines to ensure consistent, high-quality competition nationwide.

Competition Structure and Events

Starting in September 2025, Academy Division clubs will compete in:

Regular season play within regional conferences
Eight regional tournaments that serve as MLS NEXT Cup Qualifiers
Two major national events: MLS NEXT Fest and MLS NEXT Cup
Coaching education and talent identification programs

The regional qualifying tournaments determine which Academy Division teams advance to MLS NEXT Cup. These events also give college, professional, and national team scouts chances to evaluate players.

By allowing Academy Division teams to compete for the same championship as Homegrown teams through regional qualifiers, MLS NEXT creates motivation for players to develop regardless of which division they start in.

What This Means for Youth Soccer

This expansion more than doubles MLS NEXT’s participating players and clubs.

Does it water it down? Only time will tell, but I think there will be enough separation between the two that we’ll still have a true tier 1 and tier 2 structure.

The Academy Division’s regional focus and high school soccer allowance makes elite development more accessible to families who want both competitive soccer and traditional school experiences. This is huge.

With regional tournaments feeding into national events, players across both divisions compete for the same ultimate goals. This structure ensures that talent can emerge from almost anywhere in the system while maintaining the elite standards MLS NEXT is known for.