PREVIEW: MLS NEXT Cup 2026 set to kickoff May 23 in Salt Lake City

NEW YORK – The 2025-26 MLS NEXT season culminates at the 2026 MLS NEXT Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the best youth teams in the U.S. and Canada compete to be crowned MLS NEXT champion. The single-elimination knockout tournaments will be held from May 23-31 at Regional Athletics Soccer Complex. All championship matches will be played at Zions Bank Stadium.

The 2026 MLS NEXT Cup is the conclusion of the 2025-26 MLS NEXT season, featuring the top teams in each age group (U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19). In the Allstate Homegrown Division within the U15 through U19 age groups, 32 teams will qualify for the tournament based on their position in league play, the Pro Player Pathway or via MLS NEXT Flex. The U13 and U14 age groups will have 32 teams competing in the Championship bracket with another 32 teams in the Premier bracket. In each age group within the MLS NEXT Academy Division (U15 to U19), 16 clubs will qualify via league play, and 16 finalists from MLS NEXT Cup Qualifier events will compete for championships in Salt Lake City.

U13 and U14 teams competing in the MLS NEXT Allstate Homegrown Division earned invitations based on Quality of Play rankings through Taka’s analytical assessments. This includes performance evaluation of each team’s offensive and defensive actions in a match. Each age group will feature 64 teams, divided into two brackets of 32, competing in a single-elimination tournament to determine a champion. Both championship matches are scheduled for May 31. All matches will consist of two 30-minute halves (60 minutes total) and will go directly to penalty kicks in the event of a tie, except for the championship matches.

MLS NEXT Cup matches in the U15–U19 age groups will be 90 minutes in length. If a match is tied at the end of regulation, it will go directly to penalty kicks—except for the championship matches. Championship matches will include two five-minute periods of extra time. If the score stays level after extra time, penalty kicks determine the winner.

A total of 22 matches, including all eight championship matches, will stream live on MLS’ YouTube page. Jalil Anibaba, Calen Carr, AJ Ricketts, and Carter Augustine will be the broadcasters for the tournament from May 23-31 in Salt Lake City.

2026 MLS NEXT Cup Broadcast Schedule

Date	Time (in MT)	Round	Age Group	Home Team	Away Team
May 23	10:15 AM	U15	Round of 32	Inter Atlanta FC	Vardar Soccer Club
May 23	12:45 PM	U16	Round of 32	FC Cincinnati	Real Futbol Academy
May 24	10:15 AM	U17	Round of 32	TSF Academy	LA Galaxy
May 24	12:30 PM	U16	Round of 16	TBD	TBD
May 25	2:45 PM	U15	Round of 16	TBD	TBD
May 25	5:00 PM	U19	Round of 16	TBD	TBD
May 26	10:15 AM	U15	Quarterfinal	TBD	TBD
May 26	12:45 PM	U16	Quarterfinal	TBD	TBD
May 27	10:15 AM	U17	Quarterfinal	TBD	TBD
May 27	12:45 PM	U19	Quarterfinal	TBD	TBD
May 28	11:30 AM	U16	Semifinal	TBD	TBD
May 28	2:00 PM	U15	Semifinal	TBD	TBD
May 29	11:30 AM	U19	Semifinal	TBD	TBD
May 29	2:00 PM	U17	Semifinal	TBD	TBD
May 30	9:00 AM	U15	Final	TBD (Academy Division)	TBD (Academy Division)
May 30	12:00 AM	U15	Final	TBD	TBD
May 30	3:00 PM	U16	Final	TBD (Academy Division)	TBD (Academy Division)
May 30	6:00 PM	U16	Final	TBD	TBD
May 31	9:00 AM	U17	Final	TBD (Academy Division)	TBD (Academy Division)
May 31	12:00 AM	U17	Final	TBD	TBD
May 31	3:00 PM	U19	Final	TBD (Academy Division)	TBD (Academy Division)
May 31	6:00 PM	U19	Final	TBD	TBD

The full schedule for MLS NEXT Cup will be available HERE and the final 2025-26 final league standings are available HERE.

In 2025, four MLS NEXT Academies took home the title in their respective age groups – U15 Philadelphia Union, U16 Real Salt Lake, U17 Inter Miami CF, and U19 LA Galaxy. For the first time ever, MLS NEXT Cup Champions were crowned in the U13 and U14 age groups. Taking home the inaugural honors were Springfield SYC (U13) and Orlando City SC (U14). Notable standout players at MLS NEXT Cup who have gone on to star in MLS include Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF), Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake), Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew), Peyton Miller (New England Revolution), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC), and Andrew Rick (Philadelphia Union).