U8 soccer age group, 2026-27
U8 for the 2026-27 season is every player born August 1, 2018 through July 31, 2019: the players who turn 8 between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027. Under the birth-year rule that ended with 2025-26, U8 was everyone born in 2018. Typical grade: 2nd grade. Your league sets its own registration rules, so its chart wins if it differs.
- Born, 2026-27
- August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019
- Born, 2027-28
- August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020
- 2025-26, old birth-year rule
- Born in 2018
- Typical grade
- 2nd grade
What U8 plays
- Ball
- Size 3
- Field
- 25 to 35 yards long and 15 to 25 yards wide
- Goal
- Up to 4 by 6 feet
- Goalkeeper
- No
- Offside
- No
- Heading
- Deliberate heading not allowed
Field figures are ranges and goal figures are maximums. A league can play smaller.
Field, goal and ball sizes for 4v4Check a birth date, or find U8 near you
The finder is already set to U8. Enter a ZIP to see the youth leagues and clubs within 25 miles that take it, and ask any of them about a spot.
Find U8 leagues and clubs near you
Youth leagues and clubs within 25 miles that publish ages including U8, then the ones whose ages are not listed or not matched. Each has a button to ask about a U8 spot.
U8 questions
Who is U8 for the 2026-27 season?
Every player born August 1, 2018 through July 31, 2019: the players who turn 8 between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027. Your league's own chart wins if it differs.
What birth year was U8 under the old rule?
For 2025-26, the last season under the birth-year rule, U8 was everyone born in 2018. For 2026-27 the group became August 1, 2018 through July 31, 2019, so players born August through December 2018 stayed in U8 for a second season.
What format does U8 play?
U8 plays 4v4 with a size 3 ball on a field 25 to 35 yards long and 15 to 25 yards wide, with goals up to 4 by 6 feet. There is no goalkeeper, no offside and deliberate heading is not allowed. Source: US Soccer Player Development Initiatives. A league can play smaller than these figures, and many do.
What grade is a U8 player in?
Typically 2nd grade. The August 1 cycle was chosen to line up with school years, but kindergarten cutoffs vary by state (many are September 1, not August 1), so a player born in August can be in a different grade from most of the group.
Cities with the most U8 programs
SoccerMapd lists 269 youth leagues and clubs in 166 cities that publish U8. Each city page shows the ages every listing publishes.
Sources: US Youth Soccer, Updated Decision on Age Group Formation (June 10, 2025); US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer and AYSO returning to seasonal-year age groups (March 5, 2025); US Club Soccer, Registration: Player Age Groups.