Behind the Scenes: The PrepSoccer National Rankings 

The PrepSoccer National Rankings for the Class of 2026 were released this week. The national rankings were a cumulative effort from the PrepSoccer National Analysts who have decades of experience with high school, club, and college soccer. 

This initial effort is a starting point for our rankings. PrepSoccer was launched in 2021 with the ambition of helping more players reach their goals in the sport, whether that is playing Division I, Division II, Division III, junior college, NAIA, or any other level of the game beyond high school. 

The process of getting players to that point includes lots of reporting at a hyperlocal level, which includes experts that have contributed to our state rankings, which have been released over the past year in the 2023, 2024, 2025, and now 2026 class.  

The national rankings took the feedback from those rankings, but also included the in-person scouting PrepSoccer has done over the last six months. From nearly every league and showcase, we have been determined to cover the events and take notes on the top performers from this club soccer season and high school season (for the states that have played already). 

We have used that in-person approach to help formulate these rankings, which are not set in stone but a starting point. PrepSoccer is planning to expand the rankings for this class and the 2025 with upcoming updates. 

The intention of this article is to help answer some questions about the rankings process and provide clarity about this new addition to the PrepSoccer site. 

How?

The rankings were brought together throughout the past year of observing the 2026 class through scouting at various events of both high school and club soccer as well as conversations with scouts from all levels of soccer (professional, college, club, and youth national teams). 

The feedback and insight helped shape these rankings, along with the expertise of the PrepSoccer National Analysts, who have been in this industry for decades. The starting point for any player was: Who is making an impact at the top levels in the big games? Beyond finding those players who were leaving an imprint on the game at the highest levels, we looked for players with the highest ceiling/most potential. Our player rankings will always be a balance of top contributors now as well as players we rate as having the potential to reach the top level in the game. 

Why?

While rankings are not the be all, end all, they are a great database for college coaches and scouts trying to navigate the massive scope of youth soccer in the United States. The player rankings also provide a point of reference for future scouting as they help new scouts for PrepSoccer adjust to the level expected of a player to be considered for the national or state level rankings. 

Who was considered?

All players from high school and club soccer based in the U.S. were considered for the rankings. The lone disqualification for players is they must still retain amateur status. Players who had already signed professional contracts with MLS, MLS Next Pro, USL, or NWSL were not included in our national rankings or state rankings.

While this is not to say that we saw every player who plays soccer at those levels, we did not discount any player beyond those who were already signed to professional contracts. 

Why are some players higher in the national rankings than the state rankings?

The national rankings represent our most recent update to the rankings. The state rankings will be updated again in the near future. For the players who made a big jump forward in the rankings, this is a reflection of more recent in-person scouting efforts and feedback from coaches. 

What’s Next? 

The update for the national 2025 class will come up in the next week or two. Beyond that, PrepSoccer will continue state ranking updates for the 2026 and 2025 classes for the next couple of months. We will expand the national rankings for both classes after the summer playoffs.