This change has a large impact on clubs and members across the nation. For more information about this change, we encourage you to visit the US Soccer website with information about this change. We have included some of the most common questions about this change to help our members navigate it during the upcoming year.

Q: What is changing exactly?
We are moving from a Birth Year registration (Jan 1–Dec 31) to a Seasonal/School Year registration (Aug 1–July 31). This aligns soccer age groups with school grades.

Q: When does this take effect?
The national mandate officially begins in the 2026-2027 season, starting this coming fall.

Q: My child was born between August and December. How are they affected?
These players are most affected. Under the new rules, they will “drop back” one age group relative to the old system. This ensures they play with their school classmates rather than being the youngest on a team of players in the grade above them.

Q: Will my child be separated from their current teammates?
Possibly. Because the “cut-off” date is moving from January 1st to August 1st, teams formed under the old birth-year rules may be split. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible through evaluations and flexible “play-up” options where appropriate.

Q: Can my child “Play Up” to stay with their current team?
Our club policy allows players to request to “play up” if it is developmentally appropriate. However, the goal of this change is social alignment, so we encourage families to consider the benefits of playing within their school-year bracket.

Q: Does this affect High School soccer?
This change actually makes things easier for high schoolers. It eliminates the “trapped player” scenario where some 8th graders were forced to play on U15 teams without their classmates who had already moved on to high school ball.

Q: My child was born on X date, what age bracket would they be placed into?

This chart shows the common brackets:

Age Group	2025-2026 Season (Birth Year)	2026-2027 Season (School Year)
U9	Born in 2017	Aug 1, 2017 – July 31, 2018
U10	Born in 2016	Aug 1, 2016 – July 31, 2017
U11	Born in 2015	Aug 1, 2015 – July 31, 2016
U12	Born in 2014	Aug 1, 2014 – July 31, 2015
U13	Born in 2013	Aug 1, 2013 – July 31, 2014
U14	Born in 2012	Aug 1, 2012 – July 31, 2013
U15	Born in 2011	Aug 1, 2011 – July 31, 2012

USSoccer also a tool to assist parents in understanding their child’s designated Age Group: Age Group Calculator