The MLS SuperDraft 2026, which will be held this Thursday, December 18, is one of the key mechanisms through which the U.S. league incorporates young talent from college soccer. As in sports such as the NFL, NBA or MLB, this system seeks to strengthen the league’s competitiveness and offer opportunities to players trained in U.S. universities.
In this edition, 436 players from 150 universities have been declared eligible. However, only 90 players will end up on MLS clubs’ squads, as each of the 30 teams has, in principle, three selections distributed in different rounds. Some clubs, however, have sold or traded those rights during the season.
How does the selection order work?
The order of the SuperDraft is not random.
MLS awards first selections to the teams that performed the worst during the season.
While the clubs with the best results choose at the end.
This system seeks to reduce competitive inequalities and allow the teams that are lagging behind to have first access to the best college prospects.
For that reason, D.C. United will be the first to pick in the 2026 SuperDraft, followed by Atlanta United, FC Dallas, Sporting Kansas City and Orlando City.
In contrast, Inter Miami CF, the defending MLS champion, will pick in 30th place in each round, i.e., the last place.
Inter Miami will have more picks
Although it will choose in the end, Inter Miami will not go into this MLS SuperDraft 2026 empty-handed.
The club made five total selections, two more than usual, following previous transactions that included the sales of Federico Redondo and Benjamin Cremaschi.
This will allow the team to have more room to bet on young talent, even with late picks.
The SuperDraft order is not random
QuéOnnda.com
What happened in SuperDraft 2025?
Recent experience shows that the impact of SuperDraft is not always immediate.
In 2025, Inter Miami sold its first-round pick to LAFC and used its later selections on Bailey Sparks, a midfielder from Southern Methodist University, and Michael Appiah, a winger from Florida International University.
Neither had any direct bearing on the road to the title, as Sparks remained on the junior team.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
