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 (USSF or U.S. Soccer) 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 (considered a separate country by FIFA) 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 The country's governing body for the sport, the United States Soccer Federation (also known as the USSF or U.S. Soccer), 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 (USASA), the only amateur soccer organization sanctioned by the USSF.
Currently, no professional league in any of the major pro sports leagues in the U.S. or Canada uses a system of promotion and relegation. Some amateur leagues sanctioned by the USASA also use promotion and relegation systems within multiple levels of their leagues, although there has never been a merit-based promotion system offered to the NPSL, the USASA's "national" league.
In February 2025, the United Soccer League (USL) announced it would be launching a new Division I league, USL Premier, in 2028 to alongside its two existing professional leagues; USL Championship, and USL League One. USL indicated it planned to be the first major pro league in the US to implement promotion and relegation.
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 (NCAA). 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 (or Federation), 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 +Overview of USSF standardsDivisionMenWomenIndoorMinimum number of teams128866Year 3: 14Year 3: 10Year 6: 12Year 4: 10Year 3: 8Year 3: 8Req. participationAll eligible CONCACAF competitionsOpen CupAll eligible CONCACAF competitionsOpen CupGeographic coverageEastern, Central,and Pacific time zonesTwo time zonesTwo time zonesYear 6: Eastern, Central,and Pacific time zonesYear 6: Eastern, Central,and Pacific time zonesMarket population>75% with >1mil>75% with >750k>75% with >750k>50% with >500kStadium capacity15,0005,0001,0005,0002,0001,0001,000Lease lead180 days120 days120 daysBond$1 mil$750 k$250 k$100 k$50 k$20 k$20 kTime guarantee5 years3 years3 years3 yearsPrimary owner worth$40 mil$20 mil$10 mil$15 mil$7.5 mil$5 mil$3 mil
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 (ex. U.S. Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup.) 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 (if applicable) and projections (including a detailed budget) 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 15% 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 (US$40,000,000) 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 (US$70,000,000) 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, 15% ownership stake.
Markets and stadia Year 1: Eight teams in at least 2 time zones<ref 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, 15% ownership stake.
Markets and stadia Year 1: Eight teams Stadiums must have 1,000 capacity
Men's leagues Professional leagues +Professional soccer leagues in the United StatesDivisionLeagueAbbreviationTeamsFirst season IMajor League SoccerMLS301996 IIUSL ChampionshipUSLC252011 IIIMLS Next ProMLSNP302022USL League OneUSL1182019
Since 1996, Major League Soccer (MLS) 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 (USLC) is the only sanctioned Division II men's outdoor soccer league since 2018. 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.
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.
The reserve league for MLS, MLS Next Pro, received Division III sanctioning and began play in 2022. Prior to this, most MLS teams had their reserve teams in the USL system before moving to the new MLS owned league.
Several other leagues have previously received sanctioning, including: North American Soccer League (1968-1984) American Professional Soccer League (1990-1996) USISL Pro League/USL Second Division (1995-2010) USISL A-League/USL First Division (1996-2010) the second North American Soccer League (2011-2017) National Independent Soccer Association (2019-2024)
Number of teams in each league Below is a list of the number of teamsSee All-Time Division II Standings for Division II list of teams and records. and All-Time Division III Standings for Division III teams sanctioned by the USSF under the current division sanctioning scheme described above.
+ Pro soccer teams (includes teams outside United States) Year Total pro teams 1 2 3 – APSL – 1994 7 – 7 – – A-League USISL PL 1995 61 – 6 55 MLS A-League/USISL SL USISL PL 1996 65 10 28 27 MLS A-League USL D3 Pro 1997 73 10 24 39 1998 79 12 28 39 1999 68 12 30 26 2000 59 12 25 22 2001 50 12 21 17 2002 46 10 18 18 MLS A-League Pro League 2003 42 10 19 13 2004 38 10 16 12 MLS USL-1 USL-2 2005 33 12 12 9 2006 33 12 12 9 2007 35 13 12 10 2008 35 14 11 10 2009 35 15 11 9 MLS USSF D2 Pro USL-2 2010 34 16 12 6 MLS NASL USL 2011 38 18 8 12 2012 38 19 8 11 2013 40 19 8 13 2014 43 19 10 14 2015 55 20 11 24 2016 61 20 12 29 MLS NASL/USL – 2017 60 22 38 –MLSUSL – 2018 56 23 33 –MLSUSLCUSL1/NISA 2019 77 24 36 17 2020 81 26 35 20 2021 79 27 31 21MLSUSLCUSL1/MLSNP/NISA 2022 95 28 27 40 2023 101 29 24 48 2024 103 29 24 50 MLS USLC USL1/MLSNP 2025 97 30 24 43 2026 103 30 25 47 Notes
Semi-professional and amateur leagues