The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announced today that the league plans to play a fall season tournament in 2025 with at least eight clubs. The tournament will be called the NISA Pro Cup and will be part of NISA’s professional league application to the U.S. Soccer Federation for 2025/2026. The league plans to return to a full schedule in 2026 as it resets the enterprise and membership. No details were announced on which clubs will participate, where these matches will be played, or when this tournament would start in the fall.
Los Angeles Force owner and President Bob Friedland provided some insight on the league’s plans to move forward with the following statement:
“We are truly excited as we move forward with our plans for growth in the coming months,” says Los Angeles Force Owner and President Bob Friedland, who is currently guiding the league’s reset. “The NISA Pro Cup Tournament this fall will bring together great teams and talent. We are very proud to have a rich history that has given the path for many past NISA players that have received the exposure in our league and moved on to higher divisions in the US, Europe, South America, Mexico and others. We expect to nurture much more talent in the future.”
The league also stated in its press release that NISA’s professional league application to the USSF will include 2025 tournament clubs and new clubs and cities for the 2026 season. The league will continue to communicate transparently with the USSF to ensure a strong and aligned path towards the future.
The last time NISA played a tournament outside the NISA Independent Cup was in the fall of 2020. The league restarted after canceling the remainder of the 2019-2020 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The NISA league split the fall season into two formats, featuring a regionalized regular season dividing eight teams into two conferences. After the regular season concluded, the clubs played a tournament at Keyworth Stadium featuring group play and a knockout round to crown a fall season champion. Detroit City FC won the 2020 fall tournament.
With Commissioner John Prutch resigning from his role in NISA a couple of weeks ago, it appears the league will focus on restructuring its front office under new leadership, recruiting new clubs, and finding a path forward as the league plans to return to a full season in 2026. I’ll keep you posted on the latest updates on the NISA league and NISA Nation. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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