The Midwest Premier League (MWPL) is proud to officially announce its 2026 Conference and Divisional Alignments, marking another major step forward in the league’s growth, geographic expansion, and competitive structure towards the 2030 Plan.
With new clubs joining, returning organizations strengthening their pathways, and regional rivalries continuing to form, the 2026 MWPL season will feature 53 clubs in 7 divisions across 3 conferences – Gateway, Great Lakes, and Heartland – creating one of the most robust regional competition platforms in American lower-division soccer. Every club will play a ten-game regular season in 2026.
These alignments are designed to reduce travel, enhance local rivalries, and provide meaningful competitive pathways for clubs pursuing promotion across the Heartland Conference, and a Championship in the Gateway and Great Lakes conferences.
GATEWAY CONFERENCE
The winners of the Gateway Conference’s East Division will play the winners of the West Division in the Gateway Conference Championship Game on Saturday, July 25th. Time and location will be determined at a later date.
Gateway East Division
- 314 Soccer Club (St. Louis, MO)
- BOHFS St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
- St. Louis Fusion FC (St. Louis, MO)
- St. Louis Stars SC (St. Louis, MO)
- United Capital City Athletic (Jefferson City, MO)
- St. Louis Development Academy (Maryland Heights, MO)
- St. Louis Scott Gallagher (Fenton, MO)
- Pearl City SC (Muscatine, IA)
- Souteast Soccer Academy (SESA) (Burlington, IA)
- Ehtar Belleville FC (Belleville, IL)
- FC Kirkwood (Kirkwood, MO)
Gateway West Division
- First City FC (Leavenworth, KS)
- Woodland FC (Shawnee, KS)
- Great Plains FC (Lenexa, KS)
- Union KC (Kansas City, KS)
- Southside FC (Kansas City, MO)
- AFC Columbia (Columbia, MO)
GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE
The winners of the Great Lakes Conference’s East Division will play the winners of the West Division in the Great Lakes Conference Championship Game on Saturday, July 25th. Time and location will be determined at a later date.
Great Lakes East Division
- Michigan Jaguars (Novi, MI)
- Legends FC (Brighton, MI)
- Futsal Factory (Dexter, MI)
- Toledo Villa FC (Toledo, OH)
- FC Pontiac (Pontiac, MI)
- Troy United FC (Troy, MI)
- Oakland County FC (Royal Oak, MI)
- Cedars FC (Dearborn, MI)
Great Lakes West Division
- Holland Rovers (Holland, MI)
- Tulip City United SC (Holland, MI)
- Goshen City FC (Goshen, IN)
- 1927SC (Fort Wayne, IN)
- Grand Rapids SC (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Midwest United FC (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Lansing Common FC (Lansing, MI)
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE
The Heartland Conference began a system of promotion and relegation with two separate divisions in 2024. Due to the increased number of clubs playing in Division 2 in 2026, that division has been split into two separate groups for scheduling purposes.
The clubs that finish in the bottom two positions of Division 1 will be relegated to Division 2 for the 2027 MWPL season.
Heartland Division 1
- Green Bay Glory (Green Bay, WI)
- Bavarian United SC (Milwaukee, WI)
- Cedar Rapids Inferno (Cedar Rapids, IA)
- AFC Roscoe (Chicago, IL)
- Chicago House AC (Chicago, IL)
- Edgewater Castle FC (Chicago, IL)
Heartland Division 2 – Group A
The club that finishes in first place in Division 2 – Group A will be promoted to Division 1 for the 2027 MWPL season.
- FC Select (Evanston, IL)
- Jahbat FC (Evanston, IL)
- Sueño FC (Bolingbrook, IL)
- Steel City FC (Joliet, IL)
- AAC Eagles (Chicago, IL)
- Berber City FC (Chicago, IL)
- Chicago City SC (Chicago, IL)
- Czarni Jaslo (Chicago, IL)
Heartland Division 2 – Group B
The club that finishes in first place in Division 2 – Group B will be promoted to Division 1 for the 2027 MWPL season.
- RKC Third Coast (Racine, WI)
- Madison Fire (Madison, WI)
- Rockford FC (Rockford, IL)
- DeKalb County United (DeKalb, IL)
- Chicago Ghost FC (Chicago, IL)
- Chicago Soccer Academy (Chicago, IL)
- River Light FC (Aurora, IL)
LOOKING AHEAD
The 2026 season represents one of the largest and most competitive MWPL campaigns in league history, with clubs spanning Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
From long-established academies and community clubs to ambitious new organizations, the MWPL continues to serve as a true development and competition platform for players, coaches, and supporters across the Midwest.
Full schedules will be announced in the coming weeks.