2026 USMST Physicians Soccer Summit

The 2026 Physicians Soccer Summit is a three day event (Feb 6-8, 2026) for physicians focused on friendship, soccer, and education. Participants, both national and international, male and female, will compete in a round-robin format soccer tournament, with full length games each day as well as dedicated practice sessions. An accredited CME conference, “The 2026 USMST Congress on Sport and Health”, will accompany the tournament and provide a forum for participants to interact professionally, network, and disseminate knowledge. There will also be a youth outreach event on Friday morning, February 6, 2026 in support of our outreach program, "Healthy, Fit and Smart". A gala dinner on Saturday evening highlights our focus on friendship with our national and international cohort of physicians.

The soccer activities will take place at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, CA (Friday, Sunday) and the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA (Saturday). The official PSS hotel and site of the 2026 USMST Congress, will be the Pasea Hotel and Spa in Huntington Beach, CA.

1. Are non-physicians allowed to participate?

The Physicians Soccer Summit (PSS) is for physicians and medical students only. All participants must be medical doctors with an MD or DO degree.

2. What is the tournament format?

Players will be divided into teams for the weekend, depending the number of registered physicians. The Open division will be for players of any age wishing to compete in a more traditional 11 vs 11 format on a regulation field. The Masters division will be for players 45 years and older (must turn 45 in 2026) and will be a 7 vs 7 format, with a smaller field. The Women's tournament format is also a 7 vs 7 format on the smaller field.

There may be international teams from the region that will be participating, and will join the US Round Robin cohort teams in the Open, Masters and Women's tournaments.

3. Is there an age cut-off?

No. Any eligible physician of any age is welcome. Fitness is important to get through the weekend, but we incorporate everyone of all ages together on the teams. Keep in mind that if you are 45 or older, you can play either in the Open or Masters division, but not both.

4. How are the teams formed?

We try to form the teams to make them competitive based on player age, skill, and position. Most players are known to us, but for the new players, the intake assessment at registration is our guide.

5. Do I get uniforms?

We will provide each player with a high quality commemorative jersey for the weekend and ask that you bring white soccer jerseys for the practices. We ask US players to also bring Navy blue shorts and Navy blue socks.

6. Grass or turf?

Both. The Great Park in Irvine has also been transitioning to mostly turf fields. Bring your cleats and any preferred turf shoes (cleats will work on the turf). If transition is not complete we may play on grass

7. How do I play with USMST at the World Medical Football Championships (WMFC)?

All Open and Masters (45 and over) players need to attend the PSS, as well as the MANDATORY additional two practice weekends to be on the roster for the 2026 World Medical Football Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica, taking place Dec 12-19, 2026.

We use the PSS to bring everyone from our organization (past and present) together at least once annually, and to also invite potential new players. The weekend is fantastic, and gives new players a flavor of what we're all about while also providing a fun opportunity to network, participate in the CME program and enjoy a weekend of friendship with our growing community. At the end of the weekend, our coaches will work on creating our team roster for the WMFC, and we will notify the participants within a couple weeks. All players wishing to participate with USMST at the WMFC need to also attend the mandatory practice weekends, which are to be determined.

Our website will have the dates listed and additional information for the team practices as things get confirmed. If you have any desire to play in the WMFC, block out all the required dates on your undoubtedly busy schedule!

8. Can I give a talk at the USMST Congress on Sport and Health?

Yes!! We welcome everyone to give a talk, and information on how to submit an abstract appears at the end of the registration process. This sports medical conference will occur on Saturday am and is one of the big highlights of the weekend! We need multiple diverse speakers. It is an great way to participate in the weekend, get to know your colleagues expertise off the field and share an evidenced based presentatioin focused on sport and health.

9. Do I receive Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit at the Congress?

Yes. The Congress will provide up to 3 hours of AMA Category 1 CME Credit through the University of California - San Diego school of medicine.

10. When do we get to interact off the pitch?

We will have plenty of social activities during the weekend. Beyond the soccer, we'll have an informal Happy Hour on Friday evening and a Gala Dinner on Saturday night. Guests are welcome for all events, but will need tickets for the Gala Dinner. We will also have an outreach event during the weekend, which will be a great way to interact with your teammates while providing community service. The international physicians who wish to participate are welcome to join our USA physicians in this volunteer educational opportunity.

11. Can I get a refund if I can't attend?

Unfortunately, we cannot honor refund requests after January 4, 2026 due to finalizing plans for the weekend. Requests coming prior to that will be reviewed on an individual basis.

12. Is there any more information on USMST?

Our website: http://www.usmedicalsoccerteam.org/

A publication on our organization by USMST co-founder Gautam Nayak

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