NCAA Division I men’s soccer to adopt 2-semester playing schedule
The Division I Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee adopted legislation to make the sport’s season two semesters, starting in the 2027-28 season. Joe Zhao | Daily Orange File Photo
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The Division I Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee adopted legislation Wednesday to make the sport’s playing and practice season two semesters, effective on Aug. 1, 2027. Under this new format, the D-I men’s soccer schedule would be divided into fall and spring segments starting in the 2027-28 season.
The fall segment, which would feature up to 18 matches per team, would begin in late August and conclude on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The spring segment would commence in mid-February, with a maximum of 10 contests to maintain the current limit of 25. A subsequent D-I men’s soccer championship would take place after the spring session, but specific postseason dates have yet to be determined. Currently, the season is played over a 10- to 13-week window, ending with the Men’s College Cup in December.
“Big picture, our college soccer landscape and our game need to grow and evolve. A full-year season makes a lot of sense,” Syracuse men’s soccer head coach Ian McIntyre told The Daily Orange in October.
The NCAA moved forward with the playing model, introduced in January by the Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee, to induce “a more balanced and athletic experience for student-athletes, limit the chance of injury and missed class time by reducing midweek games and help student-athletes have “stronger integration into campus life and deeper engagement with teammates and coaches.”
In October, the NextGen Soccer Committee, a 17-member group formed by the U.S. Soccer Federation, released a report also advocating for a full-year schedule before this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Without alterations, the committee believed college soccer, which has lacked representation in U.S. men’s national team squads and has seen an increase in the “best players” not attending college, according to McIntyre, risked “dwindling relevance in the U.S. Soccer ecosystem.”
The Division I Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee’s action is subject to review by the Division I Cabinet during its June 23-24 meeting.
