MLS NEXT’s two tiers
MLS NEXT Homegrown Division vs Academy Division
The short answer
MLS NEXT has two tiers. The Homegrown Division is the top: 152 clubs by the league’s count, including every MLS academy, in a 10-month season. The Academy Division, sometimes called MLS NEXT 2, was added in the 2025-26 season with approximately 230 clubs; its season is regionally focused and built around high school calendars, and its players may play high school soccer. In our directory 87 clubs hold a place in both tiers.
Sources last checked
| Homegrown Division, by the league’s count | 152 clubs, more than 17,000 players |
|---|---|
| Academy Division, by the league’s count | approximately 230 clubs, 25,000 players |
| In our directory | 152 Homegrown clubs · 229 Academy Division clubs |
| Clubs in both tiers | 87 |
| High school soccer | Academy Division: permitted. Homegrown Division: its page does not say |
| Age groups | U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19 |
What is the difference between the Homegrown and Academy Divisions?
| Homegrown Division | Academy Division | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Top | Second |
| Since | MLS NEXT launched in 2020 | The 2025-26 season |
| Clubs, by the league’s count | 152 | approximately 230 |
| Who is in it | every MLS academy and 123 MLS NEXT Elite Academies | additional teams of existing MLS NEXT clubs and more than 100 newly admitted clubs |
| Season | 10-month, with national events | regionally focused and built around high school calendars |
| High school soccer | Not addressed on the division’s page | Permitted |
| Clubs in our directory | 152 | 229 |
| States in our directory | 36 | 40 |
| Club list | MLS NEXT clubs | Academy Division clubs |
Homegrown Division and Academy Division pages, read on 2026-10-05.
Are the same clubs in both tiers?
In our directory 87 of the 152 Homegrown clubs also hold a place in the Academy Division, which fits the league’s own description of it as additional teams of existing MLS NEXT clubs and more than 100 newly admitted clubs. The other 142 Academy Division clubs have no Homegrown team in our directory.
Our directory lists Academy Division clubs, and no Homegrown club, in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Carolina. It lists Homegrown clubs, and no Academy Division club, in British Columbia, Canada, Washington, DC, Ontario, Canada, Quebec, Canada.
| State | Homegrown clubs | Academy Division clubs |
|---|---|---|
| California | 33 | 35 |
| Florida | 15 | 19 |
| New York | 9 | 14 |
| Texas | 9 | 13 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 11 |
| Michigan | 5 | 9 |
| Arizona | 5 | 8 |
| Georgia | 6 | 7 |
| Massachusetts | 5 | 8 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 7 |
A state’s name links to every club in that state, in every league.
Can MLS NEXT players play high school soccer?
In the Academy Division, yes: the league’s page says Academy Division players may play high school soccer, and that its regular season is regionally focused and built around high school calendars (Academy Division).
The Homegrown Division’s page describes a 10-month season and does not address high school play. Ask the club for its rule in writing before you sign. More in club soccer vs high school soccer.
What competitions does each tier play?
The Homegrown Division’s events are Generation adidas Cup, MLS NEXT Flex, MLS NEXT Cup and the MLS NEXT All-Star Game. Academy Division clubs play a regional season and then eight regional tournaments that serve as MLS NEXT Cup Qualifiers; the league describes those qualifiers as talent identification opportunities for college, professional and national team scouts.
Does the tier matter for college soccer?
No college rule names a tier or a league. The NCAA defines a coach’s evaluation as the observation of a player taking part in any practice or competition at any site (Bylaw 13.02.7). A player in either tier is recruited the same way: a list of colleges that fit, video, and an email.
Start with how to get recruited for college soccer, and see the rest of the boys’ ladder in boys’ club soccer levels.
Quick answers
- What is MLS NEXT 2?
- A name used for the MLS NEXT Academy Division, the league’s second tier, added in the 2025-26 season.
- What is the MLS NEXT Homegrown Division?
- MLS NEXT’s top tier: 152 clubs by the league’s count, made up of every MLS academy and 123 MLS NEXT Elite Academies.
- How many clubs are in the MLS NEXT Academy Division?
- The league says approximately 230. Our directory lists 229.
- Can Academy Division players play high school soccer?
- Yes. The league’s page says Academy Division players may play high school soccer.
- Can a player move from the Academy Division to the Homegrown Division?
- 87 clubs in our directory have teams in both tiers, so at those clubs a move does not mean changing club. How a club decides it is the club’s own business: ask.
How this was counted
What MLS NEXT says about each tier is quoted from its own pages, read on 2026-10-05. Club counts marked as ours are our club directory, built on 2026-10-05; a club is one name in one state.
Sources
- MLS NEXT: about ↗
- MLS NEXT: Homegrown Division ↗
- MLS NEXT: Academy Division ↗
- NCAA Division I Manual, 2026-27 (Legislative Services Database) ↗
- Startline: the club directory, by league and by state
Last checked against these sources on. Figures marked Startline are counted from the data we hold and move when it does. Rules change: check anything dated against the governing body itself.
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