Most leagues—School-year age group (Aug 1 – Jul 31)
MLS NEXT Homegrown—Still uses birth year (MLS NEXT combines some older age groups)
What changed
US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer and AYSO moved to school-year age groups starting with the 2026-27 season: a player’s age group is based on a birth date between August 1 and July 31, like a school grade. Leagues under them, such as ECNL, Girls Academy and NECSL, follow the same cutoff, and so does the MLS NEXT Academy Division. The MLS NEXT Homegrown Division kept birth-year age groups.
Who it affects most: children born August to December. They now play with the younger group, alongside kids in their school grade. Children born January to July stay where they would have been.
2026-27 age group chart (school year)
| Age group | Born between |
|---|---|
| U19 | Aug 1, 2007 – Jul 31, 2008 |
| U18 | Aug 1, 2008 – Jul 31, 2009 |
| U17 | Aug 1, 2009 – Jul 31, 2010 |
| U16 | Aug 1, 2010 – Jul 31, 2011 |
| U15 | Aug 1, 2011 – Jul 31, 2012 |
| U14 | Aug 1, 2012 – Jul 31, 2013 |
| U13 | Aug 1, 2013 – Jul 31, 2014 |
| U12 | Aug 1, 2014 – Jul 31, 2015 |
| U11 | Aug 1, 2015 – Jul 31, 2016 |
| U10 | Aug 1, 2016 – Jul 31, 2017 |
| U9 | Aug 1, 2017 – Jul 31, 2018 |
| U8 | Aug 1, 2018 – Jul 31, 2019 |
| U7 | Aug 1, 2019 – Jul 31, 2020 |
| U6 | Aug 1, 2020 – Jul 31, 2021 |
Always confirm with your club: a few programs, such as the MLS NEXT Homegrown Division, use different rules.