United States soccer league system


The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Although sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by a system of promotion and relegation as is common in other countries. Instead, the United States Soccer Federation defines professional leagues in three levels, called divisions, with all other leagues sanctioned by the USSF not having an official designated level or division.
For practical and historical reasons, some teams from Bermuda, Canada, and Puerto Rico can also compete in these leagues. However, these teams are not eligible for the U.S. Open Cup and cannot represent the United States in the CONCACAF Champions Cup because they are not affiliated with U.S. Soccer.

Structure

No professional league in any of the major pro sports leagues in the U.S. or Canada uses a system of promotion and relegation. The country's governing body for the sport, the United States Soccer Federation, oversees the league system and is responsible for sanctioning professional leagues. The leagues themselves are responsible for admitting and administering individual teams. Amateur soccer in the United States is regulated by the United States Adult Soccer Association, the only amateur soccer organization sanctioned by the USSF. Automatic promotion and relegation between its leagues, as exists in many other national league systems, was considered by United Soccer League, but was never implemented; although voluntary promotion and relegation has occurred. Some amateur leagues sanctioned by the USASA also use promotion and relegation systems within multiple levels of their leagues. However, there has never been a merit-based promotion system offered to the USASA's "national" leagues, the NPSL and League Two.
College soccer in the United States is sanctioned by bodies outside the direct control of the USSF, the most important of which is the National Collegiate Athletic Association. See NCAA Division I women's soccer programs, NCAA Division I men's soccer programs, and NCAA Division II men's soccer programs for a list of college soccer programs in the United States.

General professional standards

The standards for Division I, II and III leagues are set by the USSF.

Market requirements

  • At least 75% of a league's teams must be based in the United States
  • At least a certain percentage of a league's teams must be based in markets with a certain population

    Field and stadium requirements

  • All stadiums must have controllable ingress/egress
  • All outdoor leagues must be playing on FIFA-approved surfaces at least by in dimension
  • Minimum required stadium fan capacity, dependent on league level
  • Each team must have a lease to use its stadium for at least one full season no later than a certain date before each season begins

    Financial viability

  • Minimum annual bond each team must pay to the league, dependent on league level
  • Each ownership group must display the ability to fund their team for a certain number of years
  • At least a certain net worth for each team's principal owner

    Standards summary table

League specifics

Men's Division I
Ownership requirements
  • League must have a minimum of 12 teams to apply. By year three, the league must have a minimum of 14 teams
  • US-based teams must participate in all representative U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF competitions for which they are eligible
  • The majority owner must have a net worth of US$40 million, and the total ownership group must have a net worth of US$70 million. Both of these net worth requirements must be independent of both the club and the individuals' primary residence.
Market requirements
  • Teams located in at least the Eastern, Central and Pacific time zones in the continental United States. These three time zones are required because the majority of the large population centers are located in these time zones
  • At least 75% of the league's teams must be based in markets with one million population
  • All stadiums must be enclosed
  • All league stadiums must have a minimum seating capacity of 15,000
  • Not later than 180 days prior to the start of each season, each team shall have a lease for at least one full season with its home stadium
Financial viability
  • The league must demonstrate adequate financial viability to ensure continued operation on a season-by-season basis either in the form of a performance bond or similar instrument for each team in the amount of US$1 million or readily available league funds representing US$1 million
  • The maximum amount of readily available league funds for covering teams operations is US$20 million
  • Any team whose performance bond is used during the season will be required to replenish it at least 120 days prior to the next season
  • Each team ownership group must demonstrate the financial capacity to operate the team for five years. As part of the process of demonstrating financial capacity, each ownership group must provide detailed financial history and projections for the team to the Federation in a form satisfactory to the Federation. In addition, each team must have and its governing legal documents must designate one principal owner with a controlling interest who owns at least 35% of the team and has authority to bind the team. Such principal owner must have an individual net worth of at least forty million US dollars exclusive of the value of his/her ownership in the league or team and his/her primary personal residence. The principal owner, together with all other owners, must have a combined individual net worth of at least seventy million US dollars exclusive of the value of ownership interests in the league or team and primary personal residences. Federation shall have the right to require an independent audit to establish that the team meets these net worth requirements; the cost of such audit shall be the responsibility of the team or league. The Federation will take reasonable steps to protect from disclosure and limit access to financial information provided under this section
Media
  • The league must have broadcast or cable television contracts that provide for the telecasting of all regular season games as well as the championship game/series. High-quality internet streaming of regular season games satisfies this requirement
Team organization
  • All required positions must be filled by full-time staff year-round
  • Each US-based team must demonstrate a commitment to a player development program. This requirement may be satisfied by supporting either an amateur or professional reserve team competing in a USSF-sanctioned league or by the league itself
  • Each US-based team must maintain teams and a program to develop players at the youth level. This requirement may be satisfied by fielding teams in a Federation academy program
League operations
In addition to the required positions filled by full-time staff, the league office must have full-time staff performing the functions of a chief operations officer, a chief financial officer and a director of marketing/public relations on a year-round basis
Men's Division II
Ownership requirements
  • Principal owner with at least US$20,000,000 net worth, 35% ownership stake.
Markets and stadia
  • Year 1: Eight teams in at least 2 time zones
  • Year 3: At least 10 teams
  • Year 6: at least 12 teams in Eastern, Central, and Pacific time zones
  • 75% of teams must be in metro areas of at least 750,000 population
  • Stadiums must have 5,000 capacity
    Men's Division III
Ownership requirements
  • Principal owner with at least US$10,000,000 net worth, 35% ownership stake.
Markets and stadia
  • Year 1: Eight teams
  • Stadiums must have 1,000 capacity

    Men's leagues

Professional leagues

Since 1996, Major League Soccer has been the only sanctioned USSF Division I men's outdoor soccer league in the United States. MLS has grown from 10 teams in 1996 to 30 teams in 2025.
The USL Championship is the only sanctioned Division II men's outdoor soccer league as of 2025. Formed in 2010 as a result of the merger of the former USL First Division and USL Second Division, the USL Championship was sanctioned as Division III league from 2011 to 2016 before becoming provisionally sanctioned as a Division II league for 2017, and receiving full Division II sanctioning in 2018.
The USL Championship expanded almost three-fold since its first season in 2011 to include 35 teams in the 2020 season, with the league divided into two conferences, Eastern and Western. After that season, held amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, five teams left the league.
The previous Division II North American Soccer League was formed in 2009, but did not debut until 2011 following the controversial 2010 season that saw neither the USL First Division nor the NASL receive Division II sanctioning from the USSF, resulting in the temporary USSF Division 2 Pro League.
The NASL was sanctioned as a Division II league from 2011 to 2016; when it fielded 8 teams for the 2017 season, U.S. Soccer only granted the league provisional sanctioning as it fell under the 12-team requirement. The USSF rejected the NASL's application to maintain provisional Division II status for the 2018 season as the NASL did not present a plan on how it would meet the Division II criteria. In response, the NASL filed "a federal antitrust suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation" in an attempt to force USSF to drop all Division designations. Due to the litigation against U.S. Soccer, the NASL wound up canceling the 2018 season and ceased operations entirely. In February 2025, a federal jury dismissed the suit.
In March 2017, the United Soccer League announced following the sanctioning of the USL Championship as a Division II league it would start a new tier in its professional structure. USL League One received sanctioning in December 2018 and conducted its first season in 2019 with 10 teams. Ahead of its 2025 season, the league is slated to have 18 teams.
A second Division III league, the National Independent Soccer Association also debuted in 2019 with eight teams. The league initially played a fall-to-spring season spanning two calendar years but switched to the standard U.S. schedule in 2022. NISA was not given professional sanctioning for the 2025 season.
In 2018, the National Premier Soccer League, a nationwide amateur league announced the intention to set up a professional division, NPSL Pro. As part of the announcement, NPSL initiated a single season competition, the NPSL Founders Cup, involving 11 teams that were to form the new league. As of 2025 this has not materialized and NPSL remains an amateur competition.
Soon after the NASL's antitrust case against USSF concluded, the USL announced plans to launch a new Division I league by 2028. Outside reporting revealed that the new league may have between 12–14 teams and focus on mid-size cities not currently serviced by Major League Soccer.