Age Group Changes for 2026/2027

As most people are aware by now, U.S. youth soccer is on the brink of another major age‑group shift, and this time the change will be felt across everyday town, travel, and recreational programs—not just elite teams. Beginning with the 2026–27 season, most of the country is moving away from strict birth‑year age groups and back toward a school‑year style model.  For most families, tryouts, rosters, and age charts will start to look more like “play with your classmates” again, though exact alignment will vary by local school start dates.

Between now and summer 2026, clubs and leagues will publish detailed transition guides, so parents should watch for updated age‑group charts, communication on “playing up,” and explanations of how current teams will roll into the new structure.

Big three move in the same direction

Following USSF’s decision in late 2024 to give member organizations flexibility, the three largest youth soccer organizations—US Youth Soccer (USYS), US Club Soccer, and AYSO—announced a coordinated shift back to a seasonal‑year age‑group cycle starting with the 2026–27 season. Their new standard will group players using an Aug 1–Jul 31 (seasonal/school‑year style) cutoff, aligning age groups more closely with typical school grades and easing the social disruption many families experienced under the calendar‑year model.

Emerging age‑group landscape

For families, the practical effect is that most grassroots, rec, and travel players will experience an Aug 1–Jul 31 system, even though USSF’s framework remains officially “flexible.” The main outlier at the national level will be the MLS NEXT Allstate Homegrown Division, which is holding onto birth‑year groupings for alignment with FIFA and the professional pathway.

Age‑group models by platform

Organization / Platform Age‑group model from 2026–27 Key notes for families
U.S. Soccer Federation Allows birth‑year or school‑year; choice left to members. Policy is about flexibility; no single mandated cutoff.
US Youth Soccer (USYS) Aug 1–Jul 31 seasonal year. Applied to USYS leagues and national competitions starting 2026–27.
US Club Soccer Aug 1–Jul 31 age‑group formation. Covers many competitive and travel leagues nationwide.
AYSO Seasonal‑year (Aug–Jul) model returning in 2026–27. Impacts a large recreational player base.
MLS NEXT Academy Division School‑year age groups (Aug 1–Jul 31). Aligns elite academies with the broader youth landscape.
MLS NEXT Allstate Homegrown Division Birth‑year (Jan 1–Dec 31). Maintains FIFA‑aligned pathway to professional and national‑team levels.

Age Matrix Table

To find your age group for fall 2026, find the row corresponding with your birth year, and then the month you were born.

Birth Year January February March April May June July August September October November December
2007 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A U19 U19 U19 U19 U19
2008 U19 U19 U19 U19 U19 U19 U19 U18 U18 U18 U18 U18
2009 U18 U18 U18 U18 U18 U18 U18 U17 U17 U17 U17 U17
2010 U17 U17 U17 U17 U17 U17 U17 U16 U16 U16 U16 U16
2011 U16 U16 U16 U16 U16 U16 U16 U15 U15 U15 U15 U15
2012 U15 U15 U15 U15 U15 U15 U15 U14 U14 U14 U14 U14
2013 U14 U14 U14 U14 U14 U14 U14 U13 U13 U13 U13 U13
2014 U13 U13 U13 U13 U13 U13 U13 U12 U12 U12 U12 U12
2015 U12 U12 U12 U12 U12 U12 U12 U11 U11 U11 U11 U11
2016 U11 U11 U11 U11 U11 U11 U11 U10 U10 U10 U10 U10
2017 U10 U10 U10 U10 U10 U10 U10 U9 U9 U9 U9 U9
2018 U9 U9 U9 U9 U9 U9 U9 U8 U8 U8 U8 U8
2019 U8 U8 U8 U8 U8 U8 U8 U7 U7 U7 U7 U7
2020 U7 U7 U7 U7 U7 U7 U7 U6 U6 U6 U6 U6
2021 U6 U6 U6 U6 U6 U6 U6 U5 U5 U5 U5 U5
2022 U5 U5 U5 U5 U5 U5 U5 U4 U4 U4 U4 U4
2023 U4 U4 U4 U4 U4 U4 U4 U3 U3 U3 U3 U3

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