World Cup 2026 in North America is still seven years away, but when USL president Jake Edwards envisions the American soccer landscape in ’26, he sees one that is fundamentally changed from the one of today—due in no small part to the growth of the USL, both in its rechristened second-tier “Championship” and in the debut of its third-tier “League One” in 2019.
What does that 2026 landscape include below the first tier of MLS? A 40-team Championship. A 40-team League One. Soccer stadiums and youth academies for all the independent teams (those separate from the MLS second teams involved in USL). An Inter-League Cup knockout competition involving the Championship and League One as soon as 2020. And, when including MLS, more than 100 pro soccer clubs across the United States.
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World Cup 2026 in North America is still seven years away, but when USL president Jake Edwards envisions the American soccer landscape in ’26, he sees one that is fundamentally changed from the one of today—due in no small part to the growth of the USL, both in its rechristened second-tier “Championship” and in the debut of its third-tier “League One” in 2019.
What does that 2026 landscape include below the first tier of MLS? A 40-team Championship. A 40-team League One. Soccer stadiums and youth academies for all the independent teams (those separate from the MLS second teams involved in USL). An Inter-League Cup knockout competition involving the Championship and League One as soon as 2020. And, when including MLS, more than 100 pro soccer clubs across the United States.
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