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The United Soccer League has voted to implement a promotion and relegation system, the league announced in a news release on Wednesday, Mar. 19. The USL will become the first professional sports league in the US to adopt the model used in many nations like England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.
The decision, backed by a supermajority of club owners, aims to reshape the sport's US future as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"A new chapter in American soccer begins," said USL CEO Alec Papadakis. "The decision by our owners to approve and move forward with this bold direction is a testament to their commitment to the long-term growth of soccer in the United States."
Promotion-relegation will likely begin when the new top-tier USL Division One launches by 2028, The Athletic reported. The division will require teams to have larger stadiums than currently mandated in the USL Championship, along with investment and market population benchmarks.
The adoption of an open-pyramid system is the USL's latest move to compete with Major League Soccer, widely considered the sport's leader in the US and Canada. Many soccer fans have criticized MLS for never adopting promotion-relegation, which allows successful teams in smaller cities and other "Cinderella" stories to replace poorly performing clubs with more money or prestige in higher divisions.
Promotion-relegation is widely used in the world's most elite leagues like the English Premier League and La Liga in Spain.
"This is a significant milestone for the USL and highlights our shared vision with our team ownership to build a league that not only provides top-tier competition but also champions community engagement," Papadakis said. "Now, just as it is in the global game, more communities in America can aspire to compete at the highest level of soccer. It's time."
Some USL clubs quickly showed their excitement for the new league structure.
"[Let's] do this 😤," Hartford Athletic said in a reply to the league's Instagram announcement video.
"Bring it on 👊," said Orange County SC, a team based in Irvine, California.
The USL would restructure to abide by U.S. Soccer Federation rules, with the current top-tier USL Championship – home to clubs like Loudoun United FC and Hartford Athletic – becoming the "division two" league. USL League One, with teams like Westchester SC and the Richmond Kickers, would become the "division three" league.
USL president Paul McDonough said the league is finally adding a competitive twist that many US soccer supporters have long desired.
"Promotion and relegation transforms the competitive landscape of American soccer," said McDonough. "With the 2026 World Cup and other major international events approaching, we have a unique opportunity to build on that momentum and create a sustainable future for the sport in the US.
"Fans and stakeholders have been clear — they want something different. They're drawn to the intensity of high-stakes competition, where more matches have real consequences — just like we see in European leagues. This shift challenges the status quo and brings a level of excitement and relevance that can elevate the game across the country."
USL added that more information about the promotion-relegation structure "will be shared in the coming months."
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