Earlier today, after months of speculation, the United Soccer League announced the launch of a new first-division professional league: The USL Premier, which is set to debut in 2028, will be a new Division I league that operates at the same level as Major League Soccer. The new league will complete USL's three-tier pyramid within US Soccer's professional ranks.
USL Premier aims to be a league with 20 clubs competing in a single table. The actual number of teams at launch is yet to be determined, but it looks to be 12 or 14 teams.
It will also signal the launch of promotion and relegation between all three USL leagues. This will mark the first time the pro/rel system will be used by professional leagues in the United States.
“USL Premier is a defining piece of our long-term vision for the men’s game,” said Alec Papadakis, CEO of the United Soccer League, in the USL's announcement. “We’ve built a multi-tier professional system that is both scalable and rooted in communities. By establishing a clear structure, we’re creating a strong foundation for clubs, players, and fans, and unlocking meaningful opportunities for stakeholders and investors as we continue to grow the game and prepare to introduce promotion and relegation.”
No details were given on how pro/rel would be implemented in the leagues. Nor were any teams officially announced for USL Premier.
An article on today's announcement by Paul Tenorio in The Athletic states that details will be discussed with USL owners in February. It also states the likely plan would see two teams go up and down when the league launches with 12 or 14 teams. Once the USL Premier is at a full 20 teams, it will likely transition to three teams up and three teams down.
USL Premier will join the two already established USL pro leagues: USL Championship (Division II), and USL League One (Division III).
The announcement for the new league reveals that USLC will eventually lose some teams. The coming 2026 season has 26 clubs – including the debut of Brooklyn FC – but the league will contract to 20 teams when USL Premier also has 20 teams. Additionally, USLC's traditional eastern and western conferences will be eliminated in favor of a single national table.
USL League One, according to the announcement, will continue to grow. However, the league will focus on "organizing competition regionally, allowing clubs to compete closer to home and build local rivalries."
Currently, USL1 has 18 teams across 16 states, including the debut of the revived Cosmos. A more regionalized focus could see an expanded league divided into geographical divisions to cut down on the cost of travel.
In that scenario, a team such as the Cosmos might play significantly more games against teams like Westchester SC in New York, or Portland Hearts of Pine in Maine. It could also see the team face potentially relegated sides such as Hartford Athletic in Connecticut or Brooklyn FC.
The USL has more details to finalize before the new league or pro/rel launch. First and foremost, the USL will need to continue negotiations with the USL Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement. The previous agreement expired on December 31, 2025, with both sides still in "tense" negotiations, according to a recent article by John Morrissey of Backheeled.
