Season 2026/27 · A Varsity Nine Competition
The Next Wave Starts Here
A competitive bridge into senior football.
High-level games. Meaningful minutes. Credible exposure.
9
Founding teams
16
League games per club
72
Total league fixtures
★
End of season Play Offs and a Grand Final
Matchday
Latest Results
Coming up
Upcoming Fixtures
Standings
League Table
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | |
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 9 | |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | |
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Players to watch
Performance Leaders
Top Scorer
6goals
Most Assists
3assists
Most Minutes
450minutes
Standout Performance
1MOTM award
From the competition
Featured News
Ten games in, Next Wave is already bringing the generations together
Ten games in, Next Wave is already bridging youth and senior football. MK Dons’ Alex Gilbey, Jay Matete and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy have joined emerging talent, providing senior professionals with match minutes and youngsters with valuable competitive experience.
Read article →
Next Wave Championship welcomes Clip90 as title partner
Next Wave Championship welcomes Clip90 as title partner, bringing individual player video analysis, highlights and key statistics to all 72 fixtures to support player development and showcase emerging talent.
Read article →
From Ghana to Hotspur Way: Elisha Boateng's Path to the Professional Game
From Ghana to grassroots football, Varsity Nine and a professional contract with MK Dons, Elisha Boateng’s journey is one of persistence and development. Now 18, he has featured for the Dons first team in pre-season against Spurs and this week was the Next Wave Championship Standout Performer.
Read article →
From Academy to First Team: Why Southend United’s New U23 Model Matters
Southend United’s new U23 model creates a vital bridge between academy and first-team football, giving young players more time, meaningful competitive minutes and a clearer pathway into the senior game.
Read article →
Why the Transition From Academy to Senior Football Needs to Change
Why the 18–21 transition is one of the biggest challenges in player development — and why young players need meaningful minutes, competitive relevance and more opportunities to prove they are ready for senior football.
Read article →
Meet the Founding Clubs of the Next Wave Championship
Meet the nine founding teams of the inaugural Next Wave Championship, bringing together EFL clubs, senior football environments and elite national development programmes to create meaningful competitive opportunities for the next generation of players.
Read article →The competition
Built for the next step.
Meaningful minutes. Strong opposition. A platform to progress into senior football.
01
League programme
Competitive football across the season.
02
Play-offs
The season moves into its decisive stage.
03
Grand Final
Compete for the championship.
U16–U21 football · Permitted over-age involvement
Matchday
Real games. Real standards.
2026/27