National 1 League
Competitive Regional (L3) · Boys & Girls
The new top team-based league, merging NPL and the USYS National League from 2026-27.
Overview
The National 1 League is the top team-based competition of US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer, created by merging the National Premier Leagues and the USYS National League. Its first season is 2026-27. The two bodies put it at roughly 10,000 teams and 150,000 players, in eight geographic conferences each divided into districts, at U13 through U19 on the 1 August to 31 July age matrix, with merit-based promotion and relegation.
Two published facts place it on the ladder. The season ends in the ECNL Conference League Playoffs, which combine qualifying National 1 and ECNL Regional League teams, and high-performing clubs are eligible for promotion into the ECNL Regional League. That is the same competitive-regional slot its two parent leagues held: above the state premier leagues, below the national elite tier.
It is brand new, so how strong any given district plays cannot be read off the name yet, and the first result to read arrives in summer 2027. When a club says a team plays N1, ask which conference, district and division.
- One platform where NPL and National League teams used to split
- Promotion into the ECNL Regional League, and a shared postseason with it
- Brand new for 2026-27, so district strength is unproven
- A footprint this wide means level will vary by district and division
Who plays here
1,805 clubs we catalogue play in N1. Open one to see every league its teams actually enter, not just this one.
1776 United FCCompetitive RegionalWallingford, PA
210 FCCompetitive RegionalTX7 United SCCompetitive RegionalIL90+ Project SCCompetitive RegionalWA
956 UnitedNational EliteMcAllen, TX
A1 Since Day1 FCCompetitive RegionalCAAAC EaglesCompetitive RegionalIL
AC BreaNational EliteCA
AC Delray Inc.Competitive RegionalFLAC IndependenceCompetitive RegionalWest Yarmouth, MAAC Los BanosCompetitive RegionalCA
AC SalisburyCompetitive RegionalSalisbury, MDCollege commitments
3,052 college commitments from 209 New York and New Jersey member clubs, taken from public commitment lists. Those two states are the only ones these counts cover.
These counts cover this league’s New York and New Jersey member clubs only. “Unverified” means the school matched but the program level did not. No league publishes college placement by youth league, so read this as one slice of two states rather than a scoreboard. We never print a current youth player’s name.
Rules
What this league asks before your kid can register: the ages it runs, whether they can still play the high school season, and who sanctions it. The college-exposure and cost lines are our read of the league, not a figure the league publishes.
HS soccer policy
Players can also play high school soccer
Age groups
U13-U19
Geographic footprint
National
College exposure (our read)
Moderate
Cost level (our read)
Moderate
Governing body
US Club Soccer / US Youth Soccer
Founded
2026
The other leagues at this level
Leagues on the same rung of the ladder, so you can hold a club’s pitch against what the alternatives actually ask of a family.
| Factor | N1 This league | USL Academy | ECNL RL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Boys & Girls | Boys & Girls | Boys & Girls |
| Ages | U13-U19 | U13–U19 | U13-U19 |
| Clubs in directory | 1,805 clubs | 213 clubs | 408 clubs |
| HS soccer ok? | Yes | — | Yes |
| Footprint | National | National | Regional |
| What it is | The new top team-based league, merging NPL and the USYS National League from 2026-27. | A national youth league run by the United Soccer Leagues, made up of USL pro-club academies and affiliated youth clubs. | The tier directly beneath ECNL, with a promotion pathway up. |
Pathway from here
This is the rung where the route upward is written down. US Club Soccer counts nearly 230 clubs promoted out of the NPL into the ECNL Regional League or ECNL, and seven of the ten clubs joining ECNL Boys for 2026-27 came up from the Regional League. That movement happens at club level. A player moves by trying out.
- NPLNational Premier LeaguesL3
The US Club Soccer team-based tier that ran until 2026 and is now part of National 1.
- USYS NLUSYS National LeagueL3
The US Youth Soccer national pyramid, which held its last competition in July 2026.
- ECNL RLECNL Regional LeagueL2–L3
The tier directly beneath ECNL, with a promotion pathway up.
Which N1 clubs are inside your drive time?
Put in your ZIP and the finder shows the National 1 League clubs near you alongside everything else at that level. Or tell us about your kid and we’ll rank them with the reasoning spelled out.