The 2026 MLS Next Cup runs May 23–31 at the Regional Athletics Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah — and for the first time ever, all championship matches will be played at America First Field, the home of Real Salt Lake. That's a professional stadium. Real seats, real grass, real stakes. For the kids playing in those finals, it doesn't get bigger than this at the youth level.
Six age groups. Hundreds of teams. One shot at a championship.
Here's where things stand, what happened last year, and what we're watching when play kicks off.
Rankings Refresh
Before we get into the MLS Next Cup preview, we just dropped our first full rankings refresh for the top 20 players aged 2007-2011 on our website. Beginning with the 2007 age group, the biggest riser was Justin Ellis from Orlando City. Ellis has been one of the best young players in MLS this year, and despite limited playing time he has already scored multiple goals and gotten multiple assists for the first team. To take a look at the 2009 age group, we have three players breaking the scale!!! All three of our top three players have equal to or above a 9.5 rating which is the most out of any age group. Looking at the 2011 class, we have a lot of new additions to the rankings, and Carson Starrett is rising following his move from Orlando City.
The Format
The MLS Next Cup is the championship event that closes out the entire MLS NEXT season. For the U15 through U19 Homegrown Division, 32 teams per age group qualify — either through their league position, the Pro Player Pathway, or MLS NEXT Flex, the final qualifying event that wrapped in Frisco, Texas back in April.
Academy Division teams (U15–U19) get their own bracket — 16 clubs in via league play, 16 via qualifier events held throughout the fall and spring. U13 and U14 have a Championship bracket and a Premier bracket running simultaneously, so even more teams get a shot.
What Happened Last Year
Before we get into 2026, let's talk about 2025. Because the defending champions matter — and in some cases, they're chasing again.
At the 2025 MLS Next Cup:
Philadelphia Union won the U15 title. The Union's academy has quietly become one of the most productive youth development programs in the country, and taking home the U15 championship last year was a big statement for a club that operates with a clear system and identity from top to bottom.
Real Salt Lake won U16. Interesting timing given the 2026 tournament is being played in their backyard, at their stadium. Home crowd advantage isn't usually a factor at a youth tournament — but RSL will have it anyway.
Inter Miami took U17. Miami's academy is growing fast, and the U17 title was proof that the organization's investment in youth development is starting to show up in results. A South Florida club building a winning U17 program is something the whole league should be watching.
LA Galaxy claimed U19. The Galaxy have one of the deeper academy histories in MLS, and the U19 title reaffirmed what that program can do when it's operating at full strength.
The 2026 Rankings: Who's Favored
We put out our pre-tournament Top Eight rankings for the four main age groups. Here's the breakdown:
U15: FC Delco at the Top
The most interesting bracket in the whole tournament. FC Delco sits at No. 1 — and they're not an MLS academy. They're an independent club from Pennsylvania, competing against programs with professional teams, full-time staff, and resources that dwarf most non-MLS organizations.
Cedar Stars Academy is right behind them at No. 2. So the top two spots in the U15 bracket both belong to independent clubs. Albion SC (No. 3) and Sockers FC (No. 4) continue that trend — which means four of the top four programs in this age group are doing it without the MLS infrastructure behind them.
Barca AZ checks in at No. 5, Sporting AC at 6, Houston Rangers at 7, and Woodside SC rounds out the eight.
The U15 bracket is where the next wave of American soccer talent is being sorted. The players in this group are the ones scouts will still be following in five years. What happens at America First Field this month will echo.
U16: Seattle Sounders Lead
The Sounders sit at No. 1 in U16, making them the only program ranked first in more than one age group — they also top the U17 bracket. Houston Dynamo at No. 2 is a genuine contender and arguably the most interesting team in this bracket. FC Cincinnati at No. 3 is another program that's made serious noise despite being one of the newer MLS franchises.
Orlando City (No. 4), Philadelphia Union (No. 5), Cedar Stars (No. 6), FC Delco (No. 7), and TFA (No. 8) round it out.
U17: Philadelphia Union on Top
The U17 bracket might be the most loaded. Union are No. 1 — and they also won U15 last year, so there's organizational momentum behind that number. Seattle Sounders at No. 2, Atlanta United at No. 3, Toronto FC at No. 4.
Then the Red Bulls show up again at No. 5. New York appears in both the U17 and U19 top eights, which isn't a coincidence. A program that consistently has two age groups in the conversation is one that doesn't have holes.
Real Salt Lake (No. 6), Columbus (No. 7), LA Galaxy (No. 8).
U19: Orlando City's Tournament to Lose
Orlando City at No. 1. The Lions' academy has been one of the most consistent producers of top-end youth talent over the past several years. NY Red Bulls at No. 2 — the Red Bulls program doesn't rebuild, it reloads. LAFC at No. 3, giving the West some representation in the top tier.
Philadelphia Union at No. 4, Colorado at No. 5, Columbus at No. 6, Real Salt Lake at No. 7, and FC Delco again at No. 8 — appearing in both U15 and U19, which tells you something real about what that club is building.
The Storylines We're Actually Watching
Does Philadelphia Union defend their U15 title? They're coming in ranked No. 1 in U17 and No. 5 in U16 — and they won U15 last year. The Union are currently the most interesting program across multiple age groups in this tournament. If they perform as ranked, it's going to be hard to talk about this week without them being the lead story.
Can Seattle Sounders do something no program has done at this tournament? They're ranked No. 1 in both U16 and U17. No team has ever taken home championships in two age groups at the same MLS Next Cup. It's a genuinely difficult thing to do — different rosters, different schedules, games potentially overlapping. But if any program is positioned to try it, Seattle is.
Will the U19 bracket live up to the hype? Orlando City, NY Red Bulls, LAFC, and Philadelphia Union in the top four is a murderers' row. The U19 championship game, if the seeds hold, is going to be worth watching closely. College scouts, MLS front offices, and international clubs will all have eyes on this bracket specifically.
Real Salt Lake at home. RSL won U16 last year and now the tournament is in their city, at their stadium. They're ranked No. 6 in U17 and No. 7 in U19 — not favorites in either bracket, but a program that knows how to win this tournament playing in front of a home crowd at America First Field is a problem regardless of seed.
