New York Cosmos, Pelé’s legendary club, set to return to competitive soccer after years of inactivity

After years off the professional radar, the historic Cosmos will make their comeback in 2026—this time not as New York’s team, but as Paterson, New Jersey’s. The club will compete in USL League One, the third division of American soccer, under new ownership aiming to rebuild the brand from the grassroots.

After years without official competition, the legendary Pelé‘s Cosmos will return to professional soccer in 2026—this time with a dramatic shift in identity: the club will no longer represent New York, but instead settle in Paterson, New Jersey, aiming to rebuild from the ground up.

The iconic American club—best known for featuring Brazilian star Pelé in the 1970s—will re-enter professional play in USL League One, the third tier of U.S. soccer, beginning in March next year. The comeback is being driven by North Jersey Pro Soccer, an investment group that has acquired the brand rights and a majority stake in the team.

Baye Adofo-Wilson, head of the new project, will lead the club’s transformation alongside Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso. The revamped leadership group also includes Erik Stover—formerly with the New York Red Bulls and part of the Cosmos revival in 2010—who will play a key role in both operations and sporting strategy.

Back in 2010, British businessman Paul Kemsley had re-acquired the rights to the Cosmos brand with the dream of joining Major League Soccer.

The team joined the now-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL), then considered the second division of U.S. soccer, and won the Soccer Bowl three times. However, with no promotion to MLS, they never reached the top tier. In 2015, they made headlines by signing Spanish legend Raúl González Blanco. But the NASL folded in 2017 due to financial struggles, leaving the Cosmos without a league.

Now, ahead of a 2026 return to the professional scene, the new owners have made a key decision to refresh the club’s identity: relocate from New York to New Jersey. The team will play at the 7,800-seat Hinchliffe Stadium—a historic venue reopened in 2023 after a $110 million renovation. It previously hosted storied teams such as the New York Black Yankees (baseball) and New Jersey Eagles (football).

In addition to the men’s team comeback, the Cosmos plan to launch a women’s side in 2027, which will compete in the USL Super League, the top tier of women’s soccer in the U.S., expanding the club’s footprint in professional sports.

The new Cosmos project will focus on youth development over marquee signings. In that spirit, former European striker and Paterson native Giuseppe Rossi has been named vice president and sporting director. “Today, it’s often parents who tell their kids they need to decide where they’ll play internationally at 13, 14, or 15. Who cares where they play at that age? It means nothing,” Rossi told The Athletic.