The National 1 League is the top team-based competition in US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer, elevating teams across the country into a unified national platform integrated with the ECNL.

This new competition is the result of bringing together US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues and US Youth Soccer’s National League, beginning with the 2026-27 season. The new league ushers in an era of collaboration in youth soccer that benefits players and families across the country.

National 1 is intended to reduce fragmentation, simplify competitive pathways, reduce travel, and create a clear merit-based competition structure that connects local leagues to higher levels of play. Based on market analysis, integrating these competitions will create more localized play opportunities and reduce participant travel throughout the season.