[1] The trophy was named for the Soccer Bowl championship game from the original incarnation of the NASL, which ran from 1967 to 1984.

In the league's first two seasons, the championship final was played as a two-match aggregate series at the conclusion of a playoff bracket.

The league announced a switch for the 2013 season to a one-game championship final, also known as the "Soccer Bowl".

[1] This format persisted through the 2017 final, the NASL's last, as the league suspended operations shortly thereafter and went defunct the following year.

The silver trophy featured a large bowl etched with the NASL logo resting atop three long prongs, and the words "North American Soccer League" and "Soccer Bowl" inscribed prominently across the base.