The US soccer pyramid, ranked
Every tier, with the median rating of each league · 3,031 rated clubs · ratings computed 23 September 2026 · method last changed August 1, 2026
American soccer has no promotion or relegation, so its "pyramid" is a set of sanctioned divisions plus a much larger amateur and college game that sits outside them. Ranked XI rates 3,031 clubs (2,142 men’s, 889 women’s) across 42 leagues on a single Elo-style scale, so the tiers below can be compared by median rating rather than by where they sit on a chart. Cross-league placement is calibrated on roughly 600 U.S. Open Cup results. Updated 23 September 2026.
The men's pyramid
Leagues are ordered inside each tier by median rating, not by name. "Median" is the middle club, which describes a league better than its best club does.
Division I · professional
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLS | 30 | 1881 | Nashville SC (1959) |
Division II · professional
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| USL Championship | 25 | 1704 | El Paso Locomotive (1789) |
Division III · professional
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| USL League One | 17 | 1595 | Union Omaha (1750) |
| MLS Next Pro | 30 | 1529 | Austin FC II (1684) |
Unsanctioned professional
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| NISA | 8 | 1497 | NOCO Hailstorm (1509) |
NISA: professional sanctioning not awarded — unsanctioned since Dec 2024. Rated from NISA Pro Cup results; not a USSF Division III league.
National amateur
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| USL League Two | 158 | 1379 | Flint City Bucks (1675) |
| NPSL | 46 | 1373 | El Farolito (1662) |
| UPSL | 645 | 1351 | NY Renegades FC (1529) |
Regional & emerging
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| The League for Clubs | 48 | 1353 | Maryland Bobcats (1491) |
| Gulf Coast Premier League | 21 | 1345 | Union 10 FC (1525) |
| APSL | 83 | 1343 | Drita SC (1513) |
| Midwest Premier League | 51 | 1340 | FC Pontiac (1578) |
Not yet rated here: Buffalo & District SL, More regional leagues, State, city & rec leagues.
College
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA Division I | 209 | 1487 | University of Washington Huskies (1609) |
| NCAA Division II | 196 | 1402 | Lynn University Fighting Knights (1504) |
| NAIA | 182 | 1374 | Grand View University Vikings (1430) |
| NCAA Division III | 393 | 1313 | Tufts University Jumbos (1410) |
The women's pyramid
The women's game has one sanctioned professional division today, a second launching, and a college tier that carries far more of the development load than it does on the men's side.
Division I · professional
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| NWSL | 16 | 1898 | NJ/NY Gotham (1987) |
| USL Super League | 8 | 1799 | Lexington SC (1931) |
Division II · professional
Not yet rated here: WPSL Pro · launching 2026-27.
National amateur
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| USL W League | 93 | 1558 | Minnesota Aurora FC (1651) |
| United Women’s Soccer | 32 | 1543 | Lancaster FC (1625) |
| WPSL | 131 | 1534 | Pensacola FC (1646) |
Regional & emerging
Not yet rated here: More regional leagues.
College
| League | Rated clubs | Median rating | Strongest club |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA Division I Women's | 350 | 1611 | Leland Stanford Junior University Cardinal (1755) |
| NCAA Division II Women's | 259 | 1553 | Dallas Baptist University Patriots (1650) |
Not yet rated here: D3 / NAIA women · next.
How the tiers are compared
Within a league, ratings are evidence: they come from results or standings. Between leagues they are measured — league anchors come from roughly 600 cross-league U.S. Open Cup results across the last five editions, the only competition where clubs from different tiers actually play each other. On top of that anchor, a club's own Cup results move its own rating.
Club Coefficient scores men's clubs by multi-year honors and league strength. Ranked XI puts men's and women's, college included, on one current Elo-style scale, and labels whether each rating is real results, real standings, an independent model, or illustrative.
See the pyramid in the app →Common questions
- What is the US soccer pyramid?
- It is the structure of American league soccer: U.S. Soccer sanctions Division I, II and III for professional men's leagues, and Division I for professional women's leagues. Below and alongside those sit national amateur leagues, regional leagues, and the college game. There is no promotion or relegation between them.
- Which league is the top division in the United States?
- MLS is Division I for men. NWSL is Division I for women. USL Championship is Division II for men, and USL League One and MLS Next Pro are Division III.
- How can college soccer be compared to professional leagues?
- College teams never play in the U.S. Open Cup, so no real cross-league results anchor them. Ranked XI orders college divisions by independent Massey ratings and places them in calibrated bands — men's below the USL Championship floor, women's higher, because college is the women's game's primary development tier.
- Is a higher tier always a stronger club?
- No. The tables below show median ratings, and the ranges overlap. A strong national-amateur club can rate above a weak Division III professional side, which is what Open Cup results show when those clubs actually meet.