New USL CBA Extends Contracts to 12 Months, Raises Minimum Pay
The short version
- Five-year CBA ratified between USL and USL Players' Association covering the USL Championship and USL Premier
- Contracts extended from 10 to 12 months; Championship minimum salary rises to $42,000 in 2026
- USL Premier launches in 2028 with promotion and relegation across three tiers; Premier minimum is $67,500
- All clubs must provide health insurance options to players
- Negotiations for a USL League One CBA are upcoming; its current deal expires after 2027
A five-year agreement between the USL and its players' union brings year-round contracts, higher minimum salaries and health insurance options.
The United Soccer League and the USL Players' Association ratified a five-year collective bargaining agreement earlier this month covering the second-tier USL Championship and USL Premier, a new top-division league set to launch in 2028. The deal lengthens player contracts from 10 months to a full year and raises the minimum base salary for USL Championship players to $42,000 in 2026, with further increases built into the deal.
USLPA executive director Conor Tobin, who played in the lower divisions including a stint at Forward Madison, said the changes matter beyond his members' paychecks. He argued that underfunded lower leagues have drained talent from American soccer for decades, with skilled players walking away because they could not make a living. Every club must now offer players health insurance options under the new agreement.
Talks took more than two years and grew complicated when the USL announced plans in February 2025 for a Division 1 league. USL Premier will feature promotion and relegation across three tiers, with Premier at the top, the Championship second and USL League One third. Premier players will have a minimum base salary of $67,500, though Tobin raised concerns about whether players on relegated teams would keep their CBA protections.
A CBA for third-tier USL League One, whose current deal runs through 2027, is the next negotiation. USL League Two has no CBA because it is not a professional league. U.S. Soccer's Division 1 sanctioning standards, covering market size, stadium capacity and ownership wealth, remain a hurdle, and Tobin said players still lack detail on the new top flight, where club applications are under review.
