HOW U.S. SOCCER WORKS
What is Promotion and Relegation in the United States?
Key Concept
American soccer is organized across multiple leagues and levels rather than one fully connected system. Professional, semi professional, and amateur leagues operate side by side, each with its own structure. This section explains how the pieces fit together and why that structure matters.
Introduction
Over the past few decades, soccer has grown dramatically in the United States. What was once considered a niche sport now attracts millions of players, supporters, and viewers across the country.
Several moments helped accelerate this growth. Global tournaments captured new audiences. International stars such as Lionel Messi brought fresh attention to Major League Soccer. Popular shows like Ted Lasso introduced the culture of the sport to a broader audience. At the same time, stories of clubs like Wrexham and Luton Town climbing through the English football pyramid exposed American fans to one of the most distinctive features of global soccer: promotion and relegation.
As the sport continues to grow, American fans are becoming more knowledgeable about how soccer works around the world. With major international tournaments returning to North America in the coming years, interest in the structure of the sport is only increasing.
However, even with the growing love for soccer, most American sports fans are bewildered. Why has the United States NOT YET won a World Cup or developed many world-class players?
One of the most discussed and often misunderstood aspects of that difference is promotion and relegation.
This guide below explains how promotion and relegation works, how the global soccer pyramid is structured, and how the American system compares.
If you a new to American soccer and not sure why this debate matters? Start with why American soccer feels different from the rest of the world.
Understanding the Soccer Pyramid
Promotion and Relegation, often shortened to Pro-Rel, is a defining feature of soccer in most countries. Instead of operating as a single closed league, the sport is organized into multiple divisions stacked on top of one another. These divisions form what is commonly called a soccer pyramid.
At the end of each season, the best teams in a lower division are promoted to the league above them. The lowest-performing teams in the higher division are relegated to the league below.
Results on the field determine where clubs compete the following season. This creates a connected competitive ladder that stretches from the top professional leagues down to regional and amateur competitions.
For example, England has roughly 10 tiers where clubs can move from one level to the next each season.
English League Levels (Tiers)
England provides one of the clearest examples of how a soccer pyramid operates.
At the top sits the Premier League, widely considered one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Below it are several connected divisions that form the professional structure of English football..
- Premier League
The top tier of English football, comprising 20 teams. This is the most prestigious and highly competitive level of the league system. - EFL Championship
The second tier of English football, also known as the Championship. It consists of 24 teams vying for promotion to the Premier League. - EFL League One
The third tier of English football, featuring 24 teams. It is the next level below the Championship and offers opportunities for promotion. - EFL League Two
The fourth tier of English football, comprising 24 teams. It is the lowest professional division in the league system and allows for promotion to higher levels.
Below the four professional leagues mentioned above, there are additional non-league levels that are considered part of the English football pyramid.
English Non-league Levels
- National League
The fifth tier of English football and the highest level of non-league football. It consists of 24 teams and offers promotion opportunities to higher divisions. - National League North and South
These are the sixth tier of English football and are regionalized divisions. Each division is made up of 22 teams. - Various Regional Leagues
Below the National League North and South, there are numerous regional leagues that make up the lower levels of the English football pyramid. These leagues are further divided into divisions based on geography.
Because each level connects to the next, clubs can move up or down the pyramid every season based on their performance.
Learn More:
This video by https://www.nonleagueinsider.com gives a great visual explanation of the levels in England.
Rewards at the Top
Promotion to a higher league can bring major rewards for clubs.
Higher divisions usually mean larger crowds, greater media exposure, and increased financial resources. Clubs often gain access to larger television deals, sponsorship opportunities, and stronger player recruitment.
At the very top levels of the pyramid, clubs may also qualify for international competitions against teams from other countries. In Europe, for example, the top clubs in domestic leagues can qualify for the UEFA Champions League, one of the most prestigious tournaments in world soccer.
These incentives help drive investment, ambition, and long-term development throughout the entire pyramid.
The U.S. Structure Works Differently
While promotion and relegation is common throughout global soccer, the United States developed a different league structure.
Instead of operating as a single connected pyramid, American leagues function as separate competitions sanctioned at different division levels. Professional leagues exist at Division I, Division II, and Division III levels, while numerous semi-professional and amateur leagues operate below them.
However, clubs do not move between these divisions automatically based on results.
League membership is typically determined through expansion decisions and ownership approval rather than promotion from lower divisions.
As a result, even successful clubs in lower leagues generally remain in the same division the following season.
This structure has helped provide stability for investors and league operators, but it also means the United States does not currently operate a traditional promotion and relegation system.
That is beginning to change. In 2025, the USL became the first professional sports league in the United States to commit to promotion and relegation. The structure connects USL Championship at Division II and USL League One at Division III, with USL Premier launching at Division I in 2028.
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What Promotion and Relegation Means
Promotion and relegation refers to the movement of teams between divisions based on their performance during a season.
In most soccer pyramids around the world:
- the lowest-performing teams in a higher division are relegated to the league below
- the best-performing teams in a lower division are promoted to the league above
The number of teams moving up or down can vary by country and league, but the principle is always the same.
Performance on the field determines where clubs compete the following season.
A Simple Analogy
Many competitive ranking systems work in a similar way.
In online games and e-sports, players compete within ranked divisions or tiers. Strong performance moves them into higher levels of competition, while poor performance can drop them into lower tiers.
Promotion and relegation applies that same concept to entire clubs and leagues.
Teams that perform well move up to stronger competitions. Teams that struggle move down and must earn their way back.
The system creates a constantly shifting competitive ladder where results determine position.
The Promotion and Relegation Debate in the United States
Whether the United States should adopt promotion and relegation has been debated for many years.
Supporters argue that a more open pyramid could increase competition, expand opportunities for smaller clubs, and create new pathways for ambitious teams to rise through the system.
Others point to the practical challenges involved. Financial stability, stadium infrastructure, ownership investment, and league standards all influence how professional leagues operate in the United States.
Because of these factors, the conversation around promotion and relegation often centers less on the concept itself and more on whether the current American soccer ecosystem could realistically support it.
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Conclusion
Promotion and relegation is one of the defining features of global soccer. In most countries, it connects leagues into a single competitive pyramid where clubs can rise or fall based on their performance.
The United States developed a different structure. Professional leagues operate at multiple sanctioned divisions, but they function as separate competitions rather than a fully connected ladder.
Understanding how promotion and relegation works helps explain both the similarities and the differences between American soccer and the global game.
As the sport continues to grow in the United States, discussions about league structure, competitive mobility, and the long-term evolution of the soccer pyramid are likely to continue.
This guide is intended to provide a clear educational overview of how promotion and relegation works and how it fits into the broader conversation about the future of American soccer.
This page is intended as an educational overview of how the U.S. soccer structure operates. It reflects publicly available information and ongoing discussions within the American soccer community. The goal of this guide is clarity.