MLS Next Cup

NEW YORK (Tuesday, June 10, 2025) – The 2024-25 MLS NEXT season culminates at 2025 MLS NEXT Cup in Nashville, Tenn. as the best youth teams in the U.S. and Canada compete for an illustrious MLS NEXT championship. The single-elimination knockout tournaments will be held from June 14-22 at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn., with two championship matches contested on Saturday, June 21 and the final four championship games on Sunday, June 22.

2025 MLS NEXT Cup is the conclusion of the 2024-25 MLS NEXT season, featuring 32 of the top teams in each of the four different age groups (U15, U16, U17, U19) that qualified for the competition based on results from league play or by winning their respective group at MLS NEXT Flex, a qualifying event that took place from May 9-13.

For the first time in the program’s history, MLS NEXT Cup will include championship brackets in the U13 and U14 age groups. Teams were invited to the competition based on the Quality of Play rankings – a groundbreaking initiative launched this season that ranks teams utilizing Taka’s analytical formula which evaluates game play by focusing on the caliber of a team’s offensive and defensive actions in a match. The U13 and U14 age groups will each feature 24 teams competing in a single-elimination bracket to take home the title, with both championship matches on June 22. Each match will be 60 minutes with 30-minute halves and go straight to penalty kicks in the event of a tie.

MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs matches will be 80 minutes in the U15 age group and 90 minutes in the other three age groups. If the match is tied at the end of regulation, all games will head to penalty kicks, except for the four championship matches, which will feature two five-minute periods of extra time. If the championship matches are still tied after the extra time periods, they will then head to penalty kicks to decide a winner.

Nineteen MLS NEXT Cup games, including all four championship matches, will stream live on MLS’ YouTube page. Across the four age groups represented in the playoffs, five round of 32 matches, two round of 16 matches, four quarterfinal games, and four semifinal contests will also be available to watch on MLS’ YouTube page. Jalil Anibaba, Calen Carr, AJ Ricketts, and Evan Weston will be the broadcasters for the tournament from June 14-22 in Nashville.

The full schedule for MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs will be available HERE and the final 2024-25 final league standings are available HERE.

In 2024, two MLS clubs and two MLS NEXT Elite Academies took home the title in their respective age groups – U15 Chicago Fire FC, U16 FC DELCO, U17 LA Galaxy, and U19 Strikers FC. The LA Galaxy will look to become the first club to win three-straight championships with representation in the U15, U16, and U19 age group. Notable standout players at MLS NEXT Cup who have gone on to star in MLS include Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF), Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC), Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake), Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew), Peyton Miller (New England Revolution), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC), and Andrew Rick (Philadelphia Union).

Teams that do not qualify for MLS NEXT Cup can also participate in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase. The Showcase provides MLS NEXT players an opportunity to compete in front of hundreds of collegiate, international, and professional coaches and scouts. All clubs participating in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase will play three matches over a four-day span. Clubs who are eliminated in the first two rounds of MLS NEXT Cup are also eligible to participate in the Showcase.

The event will also host two MLS NEXT ‘Best Of’ matches in which top players from MLS NEXT Cup Showcase teams will compete at the U18 age range. These players are selected based on their performance in league play, at MLS NEXT Fest, and at MLS NEXT Flex. The ‘Best Of’ matches provide a unique opportunity for players to compete against one another as top collegiate, international, and professional coaches evaluate their performances.