Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players

Definitions

For the purpose of these regulations, the terms set out below are defined as follows:

1. Former association: the association to which the former club is affiliated.

2. Former club: the club that the player is leaving.

3. New association: the association to which the new club is affiliated.

4. New club: the club that the player is joining.

5. Official matches: matches played within the framework of organised football, such as national league championships, national cups and international championships for clubs, but not including friendly and trial matches.

6. Organised football: association football organised under the auspices of FIFA, the confederations and the associations, or authorised by them.

7. Protected period: a period determined depending on the age of the player at the moment at which they sign a contract, as follows:

a) Where a contract is signed by a player prior to their 23rd birthday: four entire seasons or four years, whichever comes first.

b) Where a contract is signed by a player on or after their 23rd birthday, and prior to their 28th birthday: three entire seasons or three years, whichever comes first.

c) Where a contract is signed by a player on or after their 28th birthday, and prior to their 32nd birthday: two entire seasons or two years, whichever comes first.

d) Where a contract is signed by a player on or after their 32nd birthday: one entire season or one year, whichever comes first.

The protected period starts again when, while renewing the contract, the duration of the previous contract is extended.

8. Registration period: a period fixed by the relevant association in accordance with article 6.

9. Season: a consecutive 12-month period fixed by an association during which its official competitions, such as national league championships and national cup competitions, occur.

10. Training compensation: the payments made in accordance with Annexe 4 to cover the development of young players.

11. Minor: a player who has not yet reached the age of 18.

12. Academy: an organisation or an independent legal entity whose primary, long-term objective is to provide players with long-term training through the provision of the necessary training facilities and infrastructure. This shall primarily include, but not be limited to, football training centres, football camps, football schools, etc.

13. Transfer matching system (TMS): a web-based data information system with the primary objective of simplifying the process of international player transfers as well as improving transparency and the flow of information.

14. Third party: a party other than the player being transferred, the two clubs transferring the player from one to the other, or any previous club, with which the player has been registered.

15. Eleven-a-side football: football played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as authorised by the International Football Association Board.

16. Futsal: football played in accordance with the Futsal Laws of the Game that have been drawn up by FIFA in collaboration with the Sub-Committee of the International Football Association Board.

17. Registration: the act of making a written record containing details of a player that include:

a) the start date of the registration (format: dd/mm/yyyy);

b) the full name (first, middle and last names) of the player;

c) the date of birth, gender, nationality, status as an amateur or a professional (as per article 2 paragraph 2 of these regulations), and nature of the registration (on a permanent basis or on loan);

d) the type(s) of football the player will play (eleven-a-side football/futsal/beach soccer);

e) the name of the club at the association where the player will play (including the FIFA ID of the club);

f) the training categorisation of the club at the moment of the registration;

g) the FIFA ID of the player;

h) the FIFA ID of the association.

18. Electronic player registration system: an online electronic information system with the ability to record the registration of all players at their association. The electronic player registration system must be integrated with the FIFA Connect ID Service and the FIFA Connect Interface in order to exchange information electronically. The electronic player registration system must provide all registration information for all players from the age of 12 through the FIFA Connect Interface and, in particular, must assign each player a FIFA ID utilising the FIFA Connect ID Service.

19. FIFA Connect ID Service: a service provided by FIFA assigning globally valid unique identifiers (the FIFA ID) to individuals, organisations, and facilities, providing duplicate information in case of a second registration of the same entity, and keeping a central record of the current registration(s) of all entities with an assigned FIFA ID.

20. FIFA ID: the worldwide unique identifier given by the FIFA Connect ID Service to each club, association, player and football agent.

21. International transfer: the movement of the registration of a player from one association to another association.

22. National transfer: the movement of the registration of a player at an association from one club to another within the same association.

23. Electronic domestic transfer system: an online electronic information system with the ability to administer and monitor all national transfers within an association, in line with the principles of the model implemented at international level through the transfer matching system (cf. Annexe 3). At a minimum, the system must collect the full name, gender, nationality, date of birth and FIFA ID of the player, the status (amateur or professional as per article 2 paragraph 2 of these regulations), the name and FIFA ID of the two clubs involved in the national transfer, as well as any payments between the clubs, if applicable. The electronic domestic transfer system must be integrated with the electronic registration system of the association and with the FIFA Connect Interface in order to exchange information electronically.

24. Bridge transfer: any two consecutive transfers, national or international, of the same player connected to each other and comprising a registration of that player with the middle club to circumvent the application of the relevant regulations or laws and/or defraud another person or entity.

25. Purely amateur club: a club with no legal, financial or de facto links to a professional club that:

i. is only permitted to register amateur players; or

ii. has no registered professional players; or

iii. has not registered any professional players in the three years prior to a particular date.

26. FIFA Connect Interface: a technical interface provided by FIFA within the FIFA Connect Programme, used to exchange electronic end-to-end encrypted messages between member associations, and between member associations and FIFA.

27. Training rewards: the mechanisms which compensate training clubs for their role in the training and education of young players, namely training compensation (cf. article 20) and the solidarity mechanism (cf. article 21).

28. Coach: an individual employed in a football-specific occupation by a professional club or association whose:

i. employment duties consist of one or more of the following: training and coaching players, selecting players for matches and competitions, making tactical choices during matches and competitions; and/or

ii. employment requires the holding of a coaching licence in accordance with a domestic or continental licensing regulation.

29. Professional club: a club that is not a purely amateur club.

30. Maternity leave: a minimum period of 14 weeks’ paid absence granted to a female player/coach due to her pregnancy, of which a minimum of eight weeks must occur after the birth of the child.

31. Club-trained player: a player who, between the age of 15 (or the start of the season during which he turns 15) and 21 (or the end of the season during which he turns 21), and irrespective of his nationality and age, registered with his current club for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or of 36 months.

32. Trial: a temporary period during which a player that is not registered with a club is evaluated by that club.

33. FIFA Clearing House: the entity that acts as an intermediary in relation to processing certain payments made in the football transfer system.

34. Electronic Player Passport (EPP): an electronic document containing consolidated registration information of a player throughout their career, including the relevant member association, their status (amateur or professional), the type of registration (permanent or loan), and the club(s) (including training category) with which they have been registered since the calendar year of their 12th birthday.

35. Transfer Compensation: a compensation which a new club of a player pays, or commits to pay to a player’s former club, in exchange for the former club’s acceptance to release the player from a binding contractual relationship. Compensation for breach of contract pursuant to article 17 herein is not considered transfer compensation.

36. Matching Exception: the status of an international transfer in TMS when both clubs have entered the basic information correctly (player, clubs and transfer instruction), but there are still transfer details (payment details or loan dates) that do not match in both transfer instructions. This mismatch prevents the transfer from proceeding.

37. TMS User: an individual trained and authorised to access TMS on behalf of a club or association. All TMS users have their own unique login credentials.

38. TMS Manager: the main TMS user and point of contact for a club or association with access to TMS.

39. Transfer Instruction: the information entered in TMS to transfer a player from one club to another. The transfer instruction type is defined by the information entered: (i) “engage” or “release”; (ii) “permanently” or “on loan”; (iii) “professional player” or “amateur player”; (iv) with transfer agreement” or “without transfer agreement”; (v) “against payment” or “free of payment”.

40. Validation Exception: an issue relating to an international transfer in TMS that prevents it from proceeding to the next status, thus requiring FIFA’s intervention.

41. Competition period: the period starting with the first official match of the national league championship or national cup competition, whichever comes first, and ending with the last official match played within those competitions.

42. Adoption leave: a minimum period of eight weeks’ paid absence granted to a female player/coach in case of the adoption of a child who is younger than the age of two. The period of paid absence is reduced to four weeks for a child between two and four years of age and to two weeks for a child who is older than the age of four. The adoption leave must be taken within six months of the date of the formal adoption and cannot be accumulated with family leave for the same child.

43. Family leave: a minimum period of eight weeks’ paid absence granted to a female player/coach other than the biological mother following the birth of the child. The family leave must be taken within six months of the date of birth of the child and cannot be accumulated with adoption leave for the same child.

44. Yearly fixed remuneration: the gross fixed remuneration due to a player per contract year, before tax, social security or other mandatory deductions. If a sign-on fee is paid at the conclusion of a contract, it shall be attributed pro rata over the duration of the contract. Loyalty fees and other periodic one-off payments shall be attributed to the contract year in which they are due.

Reference is also made to the Definitions section in the FIFA Statutes.

NB: Terms referring to natural persons are applicable to both genders. Any term in the singular applies to the plural and vice-versa.

01. Introductory provision

Article 1 – Scope

1. These regulations lay down global and binding rules concerning the status of players, their eligibility to participate in organised football, and their transfer between clubs belonging to different associations.

2. These regulations reflect a joint agreement between the representatives of employees (players and their unions) and employers (clubs and leagues). They are based on, and developed through, a social dialogue process under the direction and auspices of FIFA. With the exception of the content of Annexe 1 of these regulations, FIFA shall not amend these regulations without agreement between employees, employers and FIFA.

3. This social dialogue process shall take place via a Global Social Dialogue Platform for Professional Football (the “Global Social Dialogue Platform”). FIFA, together with the representatives of employees and employers, may jointly adopt more detailed rules of procedure governing the Global Social Dialogue Platform.

4. The transfer of players between clubs belonging to the same association is governed by specific regulations issued by the association concerned in accordance with article 1 paragraph 5 below, which must be approved by FIFA. Such regulations shall lay down rules for the settlement of disputes between clubs and players, in accordance with the principles stipulated in these regulations. Such regulations should also provide for a system to reward clubs affiliated to the relevant association investing in the training and education of young players.

The use of an electronic domestic transfer system is a mandatory step for all national transfers of professional and amateur players (both male and female) within the scope of eleven-a-side football. A national transfer must be entered in the electronic domestic transfer system each time a player is to be registered with a new club within the same association. Any registration of a player for a new club without the use of the electronic domestic transfer system will be invalid.

5. a) The following provisions are binding at national level and must be included without modification in the association’s regulations: articles 2-8, 10 (subject to article 1 paragraph 3 b) below), 11, 12bis, 18, 18 paragraph 7, 18bis, 18ter, 18quater, 18quinquies, 19 and 19bis.

In relation to articles 18 paragraph 7, 18quater and 18quinquies, where a validly negotiated collective bargaining agreement contains provisions related to female professional football, the respective provisions of the collective bargaining agreement shall prevail in their totality, and a clear reference to the collective bargaining agreement shall be included in the association’s regulations. Where no collective bargaining agreement exists, but where more favourable conditions are stipulated pursuant to national law, these more favourable conditions shall be included in the association’s regulations.

b) Each association shall include in its regulations appropriate means to protect contractual stability, paying due respect to mandatory national law and collective bargaining agreements. In particular, the following principles must be considered:

– article 13: the principle that contracts must be respected;

– article 14: the principle that contracts may be terminated by either party without consequences where there is just cause;

– article 15: the principle that contracts may be terminated by professionals with sporting just cause;

– article 16: the principle that contracts cannot be terminated during a competition period;

– article 17 paragraph 1: the principle that in the event of termination of contract without just cause, compensation shall be payable and that such compensation may be stipulated in the contract;

– article 17 paragraphs 10-12: the principle that in the event of termination of contract without just cause, sporting sanctions shall be imposed on the party in breach.

6. These regulations also govern the release of players to association teams in accordance with the provisions of Annexe 1. These provisions are binding for all associations and clubs.

7. These regulations also include rules concerning contracts between coaches and professional clubs or associations (cf. Annexe 2).

8. These regulations also include temporary rules addressing the exceptional situation deriving from the war in Ukraine (cf. Annexe 7).

02. Status of players

Article 2 – Status of players: amateur and professional players

1. Players participating in organised football are either amateurs or professionals. No other status shall be recognised.

2. A professional is a player who has a written contract with a club and is paid more for his footballing activity than the expenses he effectively incurs. All other players are considered to be amateurs.

Article 3 – Reacquisition of amateur status

1. A player registered as a professional may not re-register as an amateur until at least 30 days after his last match as a professional.

2. No compensation is payable upon reacquisition of amateur status. If a player re-registers as a professional within 30 months of being reinstated as an amateur, his new club shall pay training compensation in accordance with article 20.

Article 4 – Termination of activity

1. Professionals who end their careers upon expiry of their contracts and amateurs who terminate their activity shall remain registered at the association of their last club for a period of 30 months.

2. This period begins on the day the player made his last appearance for the club in an official match.

03. Registration of players

Article 5 – Registration

1. Each association must have an electronic player registration system, which must assign each player a FIFA ID when the player is first registered. A player must be registered at an association to play for a club as either a professional or an amateur in accordance with the provisions of article 2. With the exception of players participating in friendly matches during a trial, only electronically registered players identified with a FIFA ID are eligible to participate in organised football. By the act of registering or accepting to be on trial a player agrees to abide by the statutes and regulations of FIFA, the confederations and the associations.

2. A player may only be registered with a club for the purpose of playing organised football. As an exception to this rule, a player may have to be registered with a club for mere technical reasons to secure transparency in consecutive individual transactions (see Annexe 3). A player that is on trial (see article 19ter) does not need to be registered to participate in friendly matches played in the context of a trial.

3. A player may only be registered with one club at a time.

4. Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, a player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs. As an exception to this rule, a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season, provided they have fully complied with their contractual obligations towards their previous clubs, and provided that the provisions relating to registration periods (article 6) and the minimum length of a contract (article 18 paragraph 2) are respected. Limitations as per this paragraph do not apply if a player wishes to be registered based on the exception as per article 6 paragraph 3 a). Competition Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup™ may establish further exceptions.

5. Under all circumstances, due consideration must be given to the sporting integrity of the competition. In particular, a player may not play official matches for more than two clubs competing in the same national championship or cup during the same season, subject to stricter individual competition regulations of member associations.

6. In relation to the FIFA ID of a player and the integration of their electronic player registration systems, member associations shall:

a) assign a FIFA ID to all players already registered at the member association who have not been assigned a FIFA ID at the point in time when the electronic player registration system is integrated with the FIFA Connect ID Service;

b) where a FIFA ID has already been assigned to a player, as indicated by the FIFA Connect ID Service, ensure the same FIFA ID is used to register the player in its electronic player registration system;

c) if the FIFA Connect ID Service determines that a player is, or appears to be, registered in more than one electronic player registration system, resolve the matter within five (5) days of it becoming aware, and update the FIFA Connect ID Service without delay; and

d) provide the relevant personal information about a player to other member associations’ electronic player registration systems through the FIFA Connect Interface, when requested for the purpose of registration and the determination of the FIFA ID of the player.

Article 5bis – Bridge transfer

1. No club or player shall be involved in a bridge transfer.

2. It shall be presumed, unless established to the contrary, that if two consecutive transfers, national or international, of the same player occur within a period of 16 weeks, the parties (clubs and player) involved in those two transfers have participated in a bridge transfer.

3. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee, in accordance with the FIFA Disciplinary Code, will impose sanctions on any party subject to the FIFA Statutes and regulations involved in a bridge transfer.

Article 6 – Registration periods

1. Players may only be registered during one of the two annual registration periods fixed by the relevant association. Associations may fix different registration periods for their male and female competitions.

2. The first registration period may begin as early as on the first day after the day on which the competition period of the previous season ended, and at the latest on the first day of the new season. This first registration period shall not be shorter than eight weeks or longer than 12 weeks. The second registration period shall occur in the middle of the season and shall not be shorter than four weeks or longer than eight weeks. The cumulative total of both registration periods may not exceed 16 weeks. The dates of the competition period and the two registration periods for the season shall be entered into TMS at least 12 months before they come into force (cf. Annexe 3). All transfers, whether a national transfer or an international transfer, shall only occur within these registration periods, subject to the exceptions in article 6 as per paragraph 3 hereinafter. FIFA shall determine the dates for any association that fails to communicate them on time.

3. Member associations are authorised to exceptionally register players outside a registration period in the following circumstances:

a) A professional who has unilaterally terminated their contract with just cause, or whose contract has been unilaterally terminated without just cause by their club, may be registered outside a registration period. Upon receipt of the ITC request, the FIFA general secretariat shall expeditiously assess on a prima facie basis whether the unilateral termination occurred with or without just cause and permit or deny the registration accordingly. Such prima facie assessment is without prejudice to a decision of the Football Tribunal about the consequences of the termination of contract.

b) A professional whose contract has naturally expired or has been mutually terminated prior to the end of the registration period applicable to the engaging club may be registered with the engaging club also after expiry of the respective registration period.

c) A female player may be registered outside a registration period to temporarily replace another female player that has exercised her rights linked to pregnancy, adoption or family leave. The period of the contract of the temporary replacement player shall, unless otherwise mutually agreed, be from the date of registration until the day prior to the start of the first registration period after the return of the female player that has taken the relevant leave.

d) A female player may be registered outside a registration period upon completion of her family, adoption or maternity leave or recovery related to her pregnancy (cf. article 18 paragraph 7 and article 18quater) subject to her contractual status.

e) A professional whose contract has expired or been terminated as a result of COVID-19 has the right to be registered outside a registration period, regardless of the date of expiry or termination.

f) Competition Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup™ may establish further exceptions.

4. Whenever allowing a registration outside a registration period, member associations shall pay due consideration to the sporting integrity of the relevant competition. Collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level in accordance with national law may define the criterion of sporting integrity in more detail.

5. In cases where the FIFA general secretariat allows a registration outside a registration period based on the exception in paragraph 3 a), any domestic regulatory provision or contractual agreement requiring the consent of the former club to register the player shall be null and void. In cases where a player’s employment contract has expired, consent of the former club shall never be required to register the player.

6. With respect to the exceptions in paragraph 3 c) and d), associations shall adapt their domestic rules accordingly. However, priority shall be given to ensuring that a female player that has returned from maternity leave is eligible to participate in domestic competitions, as well as the sporting integrity of the relevant competition.

7. Players may only be registered, subject to the exceptions provided for in article 6 paragraph 3, upon submission through the electronic player registration system of a valid application from the club to the relevant association during a registration period.

8. The provisions concerning registration periods do not apply to competitions in which only amateurs participate. The relevant association shall specify the periods when players may be registered for such competitions provided that due consideration is given to the sporting integrity of the relevant competition.

Article 7 – Player passport

1. For entitlements related to training rewards that are not governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, existing obligations related to player passports shall remain unchanged, i.e. the registering association is obliged to provide the club with which the player is registered with a player passport containing the relevant details of the player. The player passport shall indicate the club(s) with which the player has been registered since the calendar year of their 12th birthday.

2. For entitlements related to training rewards that are governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, an EPP shall be generated and used as set forth below.

3. The Electronic Player Passport is an electronic document containing consolidated registration information of a player throughout their career, including the relevant member association, their status (amateur or professional), the type of registration (permanent or loan), and the club(s) (including training category) with which they have been registered since the calendar year of their 12th birthday. It shall be generated in circumstances as defined in the FIFA Clearing House Regulations.

4. For the purpose of creating the EPP, member associations shall ensure that reliable, accurate and complete player registration information is made available electronically to FIFA through the FIFA Connect Interface, whenever requested by FIFA through such interface.

Article 8 – Application for registration

The application for registration of a professional must be submitted together with a copy of the player’s contract. The relevant decision-making body has discretion to take account of any contractual amendments or additional agreements that have not been duly submitted to it.

Article 9 – International Transfer Certificate

1. Players registered at one association may only be registered at a new association once the latter has received an International Transfer Certificate (hereinafter: ITC) from the former association. The ITC shall be issued free of charge without any conditions or time limit. Any provisions to the contrary shall be null and void. The association issuing the ITC shall lodge a copy with FIFA. The administrative procedures for issuing the ITC are contained in Annexe 3 of these regulations.

2. Associations are forbidden from requesting that an ITC be issued in order to allow a player to participate in friendly matches in the context of a trial.

3. Except for cases governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, the new association shall inform the association(s) of the club(s) that trained and educated the player between the ages of 12 and 23 (cf. article 7) in writing of the registration of the player as a professional after receipt of the ITC.

4. An ITC is not required for a player under the age of ten years.

Article 10 – Loan of professionals

1. A professional may be loaned for a predetermined period by their club (“former club”) to another club (“new club”) on the basis of a written agreement. The following rules apply to the loan of professionals:

a) The clubs shall conclude a written agreement defining the terms of the loan (“loan agreement”), in particular, its duration and financial conditions. The professional may also be a party to the loan agreement.

b) The professional and the new club shall sign a contract covering the duration of the loan. This contract shall acknowledge that the professional is on loan.

c) During the agreed duration of the loan, the contractual obligations between the professional and the former club shall be suspended unless otherwise agreed in writing.

d) Subject to article 5 paragraph 4, a loan agreement may be concluded for a minimum duration of the time between two registration periods and a maximum duration of one year. The end date shall fall within one of the registration periods of the association of the former club. Any clause referring to a longer duration of the loan shall not be recognised.

e) A loan agreement may be extended, subject to the above minimum and maximum durations, with the written consent of the professional.

f) A new club is prohibited from sub-loaning or permanently transferring a professional to a third club.

2. Loan agreements with a duration of more than one year which predate the entering into force of these regulations may continue until their contractual expiration. They may be extended only in accordance with article 10 paragraph 1 e).

3. The loan of a professional is subject to the administrative procedures provided in articles 5-9 and Annexe 3.

4. Where the contract between a professional and the new club has been unilaterally terminated prior to the completion of the duration agreed in the loan agreement:

a) the professional has the right to return to the former club;

b) the professional must immediately inform the former club of the premature termination and whether they intend to return to the former club;

c) if the professional decides to return to the former club, the former club must reintegrate the professional immediately. The contract which was suspended during the loan shall be reinstated from the date of reintegration, and in particular, the former club must remunerate the professional;

d) rules governing registration at national level must be determined by the association in agreement with domestic football stakeholders.

5. The terms of article 10 paragraph 4 are without prejudice to:

a) the operation of article 17 relating to termination of the contract between the professional and the new club;

b) the operation of article 17, should the former club fail to reintegrate the professional immediately; and

c) the right of the former club to seek compensation resulting from its obligation to reintegrate the professional. The minimum compensation payable shall be the amount the former club must pay the professional between the date of reintegration and the original completion date of the loan agreement.

6. The following limitations apply from 1 July 2024:

a) a club may have a maximum of six professionals loaned out at any given time during a season;

b) a club may have a maximum of six professionals loaned in at any given time during a season.

7. The loan of a professional will be exempt from the above limitations if:

a) the loan occurs before the end of the season of the former club in which the professional turns 21; and

b) the professional is a club-trained player with the former club.

8. The following restrictions apply irrespective of age or club-trained status:

a) a club may have a maximum of three professionals loaned out to a specific club at any given time during a season;

b) a club may have a maximum of three professionals loaned in from a specific club at any given time during a season.

9. The following transition period shall apply for the limitations in article 10 paragraph 6:

a) from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023: a maximum of eight professionals for each limitation;

b) from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024: a maximum of seven professionals for each limitation.

Article 11 – Unregistered players

Any player not registered at an association who appears for a club in any official match shall be considered to have played illegitimately. Without prejudice to any measure required to rectify the sporting consequences of such an appearance, sanctions may also be imposed on the player and/or the club. The right to impose such sanctions lies in principle with the association or the organiser of the competition concerned.

Article 12 – Enforcement of disciplinary sanctions

1. Any disciplinary sanction of up to four matches or up to three months that has been imposed on a player by the former association but not yet (entirely) served by the time of the transfer shall be enforced by the new association at which the player has been registered in order for the sanction to be served at domestic level. When issuing the ITC, the former association shall notify the new association via TMS of any such disciplinary sanction that has yet to be (entirely) served.

2. Any disciplinary sanction of more than four matches or more than three months that has not yet been (entirely) served by a player shall be enforced by the new association that has registered the player only if the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has extended the disciplinary sanction to have worldwide effect. Additionally, when issuing the ITC, the former association shall notify the new association via TMS of any such pending disciplinary sanction.

Article 12bis – Overdue payables

1. Clubs are required to comply with their financial obligations towards players and other clubs as per the terms stipulated in the contracts signed with their professional players and in the transfer agreements.

2. Any club found to have delayed a due payment for more than 30 days without a prima facie contractual basis may be sanctioned in accordance with paragraph 4 below.

3. In order for a club to be considered to have overdue payables in the sense of the present article, the creditor (player or club) must have put the debtor club in default in writing and have granted a deadline of at least ten days for the debtor club to comply with its financial obligation(s).

4. Within the scope of its jurisdiction (cf. article 22 to 24), the Football Tribunal may impose the following sanctions:

a) a warning;

b) a reprimand;

c) a fine;

d) a ban from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for one or two entire and consecutive registration periods.

5. The sanctions provided for in paragraph 4 above may be applied cumulatively.

6. A repeated offence will be considered an aggravating circumstance and lead to a more severe penalty.

7. The terms of the present article are without prejudice to the application of further measures in accordance with article 17 in the event of unilateral termination of the contractual relationship.

04. Maintenance of contractual stability between professionals and clubs

Article 13 – Respect of contract

A contract between a professional and a club may only be terminated upon expiry of the term of the contract or by mutual agreement.

Article 14 – Terminating a contract with just cause

1. A contract may be terminated by either party without consequences of any kind (either payment of compensation or imposition of sporting sanctions) where there is just cause. In general, just cause shall exist in any circumstance in which a party can no longer reasonably and in good faith be expected to continue a contractual relationship.

2. Any abusive conduct of a party aiming at forcing the counterparty to terminate or change the terms of the contract shall entitle the counterparty (a player or a club) to terminate the contract with just cause.

3. In particular, no club may:

a) abuse the registration or deregistration of a player as a means of pressure;

b) separate a player in an abusive manner from training with the team;

c) withhold a passport from a player;

d) unduly evict a player from their home.

Article 14bis – Terminating a contract with just cause for outstanding salaries

1. In the case of a club unlawfully failing to pay a player at least two monthly salaries on their due dates, the player will be deemed to have a just cause to terminate his contract, provided that he has put the debtor club in default in writing and has granted a deadline of at least 15 days for the debtor club to fully comply with its financial obligation(s). Alternative provisions in contracts existing at the time of this provision coming into force may be considered.

2. For any salaries of a player which are not due on a monthly basis, the pro-rata value corresponding to two months shall be considered. Delayed payment of an amount which is equal to at least two months shall also be deemed a just cause for the player to terminate his contract, subject to him complying with the notice of termination as per paragraph 1 above.

3. Collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level in accordance with national law may deviate from the principles stipulated in paragraphs 1 and 2 above. The terms of such an agreement shall prevail.

Article 15 – Terminating a contract with sporting just cause

An established professional who has, in the course of the season, appeared in fewer than ten per cent of the official matches in which his club has been involved may terminate his contract prematurely on the ground of sporting just cause. Due consideration shall be given to the player’s circumstances in the appraisal of such cases. The existence of sporting just cause shall be established on a case-by-case basis. In such a case, sporting sanctions shall not be imposed, though compensation may be payable. A professional may only terminate his contract on this basis in the 15 days following the last official match of the season of the club with which he is registered.

Article 16 – Restriction on terminating a contract during the competition period

A contract cannot be unilaterally terminated during a competition period.

Article 17 – Consequences of a breach of contract

Agreed compensation

1. Parties are free to contractually agree on the financial compensation payable in the event of a breach of contract (the “agreed compensation”), subject to the following:

a) The agreement does not have to be reciprocal.

b) The Football Tribunal shall reduce an agreed compensation with restraint and only if it is excessively high. It shall disregard an agreed compensation if it is manifestly unfair.

c) For players earning a yearly fixed remuneration of up to USD 150,000 (or its equivalent), any agreement on the financial compensation payable to the player must, as a minimum, grant the player a payment equal to the residual value of the contract that was breached, unless exceptional circumstances justify a lower amount.

Calculation of compensation

2. Absent an agreed compensation, a party that suffers from a breach of contract is entitled to full compensation for the damage caused by the breach. Compensation shall be calculated taking into account the damage suffered, having regard to the individual circumstances of each case and subject to the criteria below.

3. A player shall be awarded full compensation for the damage caused by the breach. Depending on the circumstances of each case, this damage shall take into account, in particular, the residual value of the contract that was breached, and any other damage caused.

4. A club shall be awarded full compensation for the damage caused by the breach. Depending on the circumstances of each case, this damage shall take into account, in particular, the value of the services of the player, a lost transfer fee or lost transfer value, replacement costs, and any other damage caused.

5. As a principle, a player and a club shall always be awarded, as a minimum, an amount equal to the residual value of the contract that was breached. Only in extraordinary circumstances can the amount of compensation awarded be lower than the residual value.

Penalty payment

6. In the case of abusive conduct, a penalty payment of up to six monthly salaries shall be awarded to a player or a club.

Mitigation of damage

7. The party suffering damage from a breach of contract has the duty to mitigate their damage, subject to paragraph 5 above.

Collective bargaining agreements

8. Collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level in accordance with national law may deviate from the principles stipulated in paragraphs 2-7 above. The terms of such an agreement shall prevail.

Joint and several liability

9. The new club of the player shall be held jointly and severally liable to pay compensation if, having regard to the individual facts and circumstances of each case, it can be established on a balance of probabilities that the new club induced the player to breach the contract.

Sporting sanctions against clubs

10. A sporting sanction shall be imposed on any club found to be in breach of contract during the protected period within a recidivism period of two years as follows:

a) For a first breach of contract: a warning and a fine.

b) For a second breach of contract: a limitation preventing the club from registering more than five new players, either nationally or internationally, for one registration period, and a fine.

c) For a third breach of contract: a ban from registering any new players for one entire registration period, either nationally or internationally, and a fine.

d) For a fourth breach of contract: a ban from registering any new players for two entire and consecutive registration periods, either nationally or internationally, and a fine.

e) For any further breach of contract, the Football Tribunal may impose additional sanctions at its discretion.

f) In case of aggravating circumstances, the sanctions foreseen in c) or d) above can be imposed directly.

If, having regard to the individual facts and circumstances of each case, it can be established on the balance of probabilities that the new club induced a player to breach a contract during the protected period, a ban from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for two entire and consecutive registration periods, shall be imposed on the new club.

Where a limitation or ban from registering new players applies, the club shall be able to register new players, either nationally or internationally, only as of the next registration period following the complete serving of the relevant sporting sanction. In particular, it may not make use of the exceptions stipulated in article 6 paragraph 3 of these regulations.

Presumption of inducement

11. For the purposes of paragraphs 9 and 10 above, if the player signs a new contract within 45 days of a breach of contract by the player, it shall be presumed that the new club induced the player to breach the contract. This presumption can be rebutted if the new club can demonstrate, to the comfortable satisfaction of the Football Tribunal, that it did not induce the player to breach the contract.

Sporting sanctions against players

12. A sporting sanction shall be imposed on any player found to be in breach of contract during the protected period. This sanction shall be a four-month restriction on playing in official matches, and it shall take effect immediately once the player has been notified of the relevant decision. In the case of aggravating circumstances, the restriction shall last six months.

The sporting sanction shall remain suspended in the period between the last official match of the season and the first official match of the next season, in both cases including national cups and international championships for clubs.

This suspension of sporting sanctions shall, however, not be applicable if the player is an established member of the representative team of the association they are eligible to represent, and the association concerned is participating in the final competition of an international tournament in the period between the last official match of the season and the first official match of the next season.

Training compensation

13. Payment of compensation for breach of contract is without prejudice to the provisions of article 20 and Annexe 4 of these regulations.

Non-assignment

14. Entitlement to compensation cannot be assigned to a third party.

Article 18 – Special provisions relating to contracts between professionals and clubs

1. Any employment contract that is concluded following the provision of football agent services shall specify the football agent’s name, their client, their FIFA licence number and their signature, in accordance with the FIFA Football Agent Regulations.

2. The minimum length of a contract shall be from its effective date until the end of the season, while the maximum length of a contract shall be five years. Contracts of any other length shall only be permitted if consistent with national laws. Subject to the exception below, players under the age of 18 may not sign a professional contract for a term longer than three years. Any clause referring to a longer period shall not be recognised.

a) As an exception, and provided what follows below is not prohibited by national law or by a validly negotiated collective bargaining agreement at domestic level, where a player under the age of 18 has been registered at a club for 20 months or two consecutive competition periods (whichever is shorter) prior to signing their contract, the permissible term of the contract with that club shall be up to five years.

b) In such event, and unless stipulated differently in a validly negotiated collective bargaining agreement at domestic level:

– No club may sign more than five new contracts per season with players under the age of 18 for a term exceeding three years.

– Any contract concluded as per this exception must respect the following concerning fixed remuneration:

• In the 4th year of the contract, a minimum mandatory increase of 10% shall apply, increased by an additional 20% if the player makes ten or more appearances in official matches of the club’s first team during the 3rd year of the contract.

• In the 5th year of the contract, a mandatory increase of 20% shall apply if the player makes ten or more appearances in official matches of the club’s first team during the 4thyear of the contract.

For the purposes of this paragraph b), appearance means playing one full half, including extra time.

3. A club intending to conclude a contract with a professional must inform the player’s current club in writing before entering into negotiations with him. A professional shall only be free to conclude a contract with another club if his contract with his present club has expired or is due to expire within six months. Any breach of this provision shall be subject to appropriate sanctions.

4. The validity of a contract may not be made subject to a successful medical examination and/or the grant of a work permit.

5. If a professional enters into more than one contract covering the same period, the provisions set forth in Chapter IV shall apply.

6. Contractual clauses granting the club additional time to pay to the professional amounts that have fallen due under the terms of the contract (so-called “grace periods”) shall not be recognised. Grace periods contained in collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level in accordance with national law shall, however, be legally binding and recognised. Contracts existing at the time of this provision coming into force shall not be affected by this prohibition.

7. Female players are entitled to maternity, adoption and family leave during the term of their contract, paid at the equivalent of two thirds of their contracted salary. Where a validly negotiated collective bargaining agreement contains provisions related to maternity, adoption and/or family leave, the respective provisions of the collective bargaining agreement shall prevail. Where no collective bargaining agreement exists, but where more favourable conditions are stipulated pursuant to national law, these more favourable conditions shall prevail.

05. Third-party influence and ownership of players’ economic rights

Article 18bis – Third-party influence on clubs

1. No club shall enter into a contract which enables the counter club/counter clubs, and vice versa, or any third party to acquire the ability to influence in employment and transfer-related matters its independence, its policies or the performance of its teams.

2. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee may impose disciplinary measures on clubs that do not observe the obligations set out in this article.

Article 18ter – Third-party ownership of players’ economic rights

1. No club or player shall enter into an agreement with a third party whereby a third party is being entitled to participate, either in full or in part, in compensation payable in relation to the future transfer of a player from one club to another, or is being assigned any rights in relation to a future transfer or transfer compensation.

2. The interdiction as per paragraph 1 comes into force on 1 May 2015.

3. Agreements covered by paragraph 1 which predate 1 May 2015 may continue to be in place until their contractual expiration. However, their duration may not be extended.

4. The validity of any agreement covered by paragraph 1 signed between 1 January 2015 and 30 April 2015 may not have a contractual duration of more than one year beyond the effective date.

5. By the end of April 2015, all existing agreements covered by paragraph 1 need to be recorded within TMS. All clubs that have signed such agreements are required to upload them in their entirety, including possible annexes or amendments, in TMS, specifying the details of the third party concerned, the full name of the player as well as the duration of the agreement.

6. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee may impose disciplinary measures on clubs or players that do not observe the obligations set out in this article.

06. Special provisions relating to female players

Article 18quater – Special provisions relating to pregnancy, adoption and family leave

Validity of an employment contract

1. The validity of a contract may not be made subject to the taking of, or the result of, a pregnancy test, the player being or becoming pregnant during its term, being on maternity, adoption or family leave, or utilising rights related to maternity, adoption or family leave in general.

Terminating a contract without just cause and consequences

2. If a club unilaterally terminates a contract on the grounds of a player refusing to take a pregnancy test, being or becoming pregnant, being on maternity, adoption or family leave, or utilising rights related to maternity, adoption or family leave in general, the club will be deemed to have terminated the contract without just cause. It shall be presumed, unless proven to the contrary, that the unilateral termination of a contract by a club during a pregnancy or maternity, adoption or family leave occurred as a result of a player being or becoming pregnant, adopting a child or utilising rights related to family leave.

3. Where a contract has been terminated on the grounds stipulated above:

a) Compensation due to a player shall be determined according to the principles enshrined in article 17 of these regulations. However, the player shall in all cases be entitled to a penalty payment corresponding to six monthly salaries of the prematurely terminated contract. Collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level in accordance with national law may deviate from these principles. The terms of such an agreement shall prevail.

b) In addition to the obligation to pay compensation, sporting sanctions shall be imposed on any club found to have unilaterally terminated a contract on the grounds of a player being or becoming pregnant, being on maternity, adoption or family leave, or utilising rights related to maternity, adoption or family leave in general. The club shall be banned from registering any new female players, either nationally or internationally, for two entire and consecutive registration periods. The club shall be able to register new players, either nationally or internationally, only as of the next registration period following the complete serving of the relevant sporting sanction. In particular, it may not make use of the exception and measures stipulated in article 6 paragraph 3 c) of these regulations.

c) The sanction provided for in b) above may be applied cumulatively with a fine.

Rights relating to pregnancy, adoption and family leave

4. Where a player becomes pregnant during the term of her contract, the following shall apply:

a) The player has the right to continue providing sporting services to her club (i.e. playing and training). The club has an obligation to respect the decision and formalise a plan for her continued sporting participation in a safe manner, prioritising her health and that of the unborn child. The player shall be entitled to receive her full remuneration, until such time that she utilises maternity leave.

b) Should the player deem that it is not safe for her to continue providing sporting services, or should she choose not to exercise her right to continue providing sporting services, the club shall offer the player the possibility to provide employment services in an alternative manner. If she renders employment services in an alternative manner, or if the club is unable to offer alternative employment services that can reasonably be expected in the context of the ongoing contract, the player shall be entitled to receive her full remuneration, until such time that she utilises her maternity leave.

c) If, for medical reasons related to a pregnancy, a player is unable to provide sporting or employment services in an alternative manner, then the player is entitled to medical leave, subject to the production of a valid medical certificate issued by her personal gynaecologist or specialist medical practitioner. The player shall be entitled to full remuneration, until such time that she utilises maternity leave.

5. A pregnant player, adoptive parent or a player utilising rights related to family leave has the right, during the term of her contract, to:

a) independently determine the commencement date of her maternity, adoption or family leave, taking into consideration the minimum periods provided (cf. Definitions). Any club that pressures or forces a player to take maternity, adoption or family leave at a specific time shall be sanctioned by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee;

b) return to football activity after the completion of her maternity, adoption or family leave. For a player completing maternity leave, the club has an obligation to reintegrate her into footballing activity (cf. article 6 paragraph 3 d)), agree together with the player on a postpartum plan and provide adequate ongoing medical support.

The player shall be entitled to receive her full remuneration following her return to football activity.

Breastfeeding

6. A player shall be provided the opportunity to breastfeed an infant and/or express breast milk whilst providing sporting services to her club. Clubs shall provide suitable facilities in accordance with applicable national legislation in the country of a club’s domicile or a collective bargaining agreement. The player’s reduced working hours for these reasons will be considered justified, without any reduction in salary.

Article 18quinquies – Menstrual health

Clubs shall at all times respect the needs of female players related to their menstrual cycle and menstrual health. Subject to the production of a valid medical certificate issued by her personal gynaecologist or specialist medical practitioner, a female player shall be entitled to be absent from training or matches whenever her menstrual health so requires. The player shall be entitled to receive her full remuneration when exercising these rights related to menstrual health.

07. International transfers involving minors

Article 19 – Protection of minors

1. International transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18.

2. The following five exceptions to this rule apply:

a) The player’s parents move to the country in which the new club is located for reasons not linked to football.

b) The player is aged between 16 and 18 and:

i. the transfer takes place within the territory of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA); or

ii. the transfer takes place between two associations within the same country.

The new club must fulfil the following minimum obligations:

iii. It shall provide the player with an adequate football education and/or training in line with the highest national standards (cf. Annexe 4, article 4).

iv. It shall guarantee the player an academic and/or school and/or vocational education and/or training, in addition to his football education and/or training, which will allow the player to pursue a career other than football should he cease to play professional football.

v. It shall make all necessary arrangements to ensure that the player is looked after in the best possible way (optimum living standards with a host family or in club accommodation, appointment of a mentor at the club, etc.).

vi. It shall, on registration of such a player, provide the relevant association with proof that it is complying with the aforementioned obligations.

c) The player lives no further than 50km from a national border and the club with which the player wishes to be registered in the neighbouring association is also within 50km of that border. The maximum distance between the player’s domicile and the club’s headquarters shall be 100km. In such cases, the player must continue to live at home and the two associations concerned must give their explicit consent.

d) The player is at least temporarily permitted to reside in the country of arrival and/or is recognised by the competent state authorities as vulnerable and requiring state protection by the country of arrival after fleeing their country of origin (or previous country of domicile) for humanitarian reasons, without their parents, due to either of the following:

i. their life or freedom being threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, belonging to a particular social group, or political opinion; or

ii. any other circumstances where their survival is seriously threatened.

If the minor has been formally recognised as a refugee or a protected person, they may be registered with a professional club or purely amateur club. There are no restrictions on any subsequent national transfer of the minor prior to their turning 18.

If the minor has been formally recognised as asylum seeker or has been recognised by the competent state authorities as vulnerable in accordance with article 19 paragraph d) above, they may only be registered with a purely amateur club. They may be the subject of a subsequent national transfer, but are not permitted to register with a professional club until they turn 18.

e) The player is a student and moves without his parents to another country temporarily for academic reasons in order to undertake an exchange programme. The duration of the player’s registration for the new club until he turns 18 or until the end of the academic or school programme cannot exceed one year. The player’s new club may only be a purely amateur club without a professional team or without a legal, financial or de facto link to a professional club.

3. The provisions of this article shall also apply to any player who has never previously been registered with a club, is not a national of the country where the association at which he wishes to be registered for the first time is domiciled, and has not lived continuously for at least the last five years in said country.

4. Where a minor player is at least ten years old, the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal must approve:

a) their international transfer according to paragraph 2;

b) their first registration according to paragraph 3; or

c) their first registration, where the minor player is not a national of the country where the association at which they wish to be registered is domiciled and has lived continuously for at least the last five years in that country.

5. Approval pursuant to paragraph 4 is required prior to any request for an ITC and/or a first registration by an association.

6. Where a minor player is under ten years old, it is the responsibility of the association that intends to register the player – as per the request of its affiliated club – to verify and ensure that the circumstances of the player fall, beyond all doubt, under one of the exceptions provided for in paragraph 2, 3, or 4 c). Such verification shall be made prior to any registration.

7. An association may apply to the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal for a limited minor exemption (“LME”).

a) An LME, if granted, relieves an association, under specific terms and conditions and solely for amateur minor players who are to be registered with purely amateur clubs, from the application obligations set out in paragraph 4.

b) In such a case, prior to any request for an ITC and/or a first registration, the association concerned is required to verify and ensure that the circumstances of the player fall, beyond all doubt, under one of the exceptions provided for in paragraph 2, 3, or 4 c).

8. A club that has registered a minor player following a national transfer, international transfer or first registration shall:

– owe a duty of care to the minor;

– take any reasonable measures to protect and safeguard the minor from any possible abuse; and

– ensure that the minor is provided with an opportunity to obtain an academic education (according to the highest national standards) that allows them to pursue a career other than football.

9. The procedures for applying to the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal for the matters described in this article are contained in the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal.

Article 19bis – Registration and reporting of minors at academies

1. Clubs that operate an academy (within their own structure and/or through a separate entity with legal, financial or de facto links to the club) are obliged to report all minors who attend the academy (registered with the club or not) to the association with which the club concerned is affiliated. When an academy is operated outside the territory of the club’s respective association, the reporting shall be made by the club to the association on whose territory the academy operates.

2. Each association shall request all academies without legal, financial or de facto links to a club (private academies) operating on its territory to report all minors who attend the academy to the association. Each association shall report any wrongdoing occurring at private academies of which it becomes aware to the relevant authorities, taking all necessary measures to protect and safeguard minors from potential abuse.

3. Each association shall keep a register of players, comprising at least the following information: full name (first, middle and last names), nationality, date of birth, country of origin (or previous country of domicile), agent (if any) and club operating the respective academy, regarding the minors who have been reported to it by clubs or academies.

4. A club that wishes to collaborate with a private academy shall:

i. report such collaboration to the association with which the club is affiliated;

ii. ensure that the private academy reports its players to the association where the academy operates;

iii. before entering into a contract with a private academy, ensure that the private academy takes proper measures to protect and safeguard minors; and

iv. report any wrongdoing of which it may become aware to the relevant authorities, taking all necessary measures to protect and safeguard minors from potential abuse.

5. Through the act of reporting, academies and players undertake to practise football in accordance with the FIFA Statutes, and to respect and promote the ethical principles of organised football.

6. Associations shall report to FIFA each minor that attends an academy within the territory they govern where the minor:

i. is not a national of the country where the association is domiciled; and

ii. has not lived continuously for at least the last five years in that country.

Such reports shall contain a prima facie assessment of whether the minor meets the requirements of article 19.

7. Any violations of this provision will be sanctioned by the Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

Article 19ter – Trials

General conditions for all triallists

1. A club may invite a player to trial with it for a defined period of time. A professional (within the meaning of art. 2 herein) may only trial with another club with the express written permission of their current club.

2. The club and the invited player shall agree on the conditions of the trial (e.g. payment for accommodation, travel, meals and daily expenses) on the FIFA Trial Form before the trial commences. A complete and duly signed FIFA Trial Form must be lodged in FIFA TMS by the club at the latest ten days before the trial commences.

3. During a trial, the club owes a duty of care to the triallist. In particular, the club shall provide the triallist with, and cover the cost of, any necessary medical treatment for injuries sustained while performing activities within the trial.

4. The maximum duration of a trial for players aged 21 and below shall be eight weeks, consecutive or non-consecutive, per club in any one season. The maximum duration of a trial for players over the age of 21 shall be three weeks, consecutive or non-consecutive, per club in any one season.

5. A player on trial is only permitted to participate in friendly matches and any activity that does not fall within the scope of organised football. Such friendly matches must take place during the duration of the relevant trial.

6. Any person subject to the FIFA Statutes is prohibited from requesting, offering and/or receiving any payment whatsoever connected to a trial, without prejudice to the agreement between the club and the triallist on the conditions of the trial, according to paragraph 2 above.

7. Clubs having a player on trial are not entitled to receive training rewards for the period during which a player is on trial with that club.

Conditions specific to minor triallists

8. In addition to the general conditions, a minor may only trial with a club provided that:

a) the date the trial period begins occurs during the season of:

i. the minor triallist’s 16th birthday; or

ii. the minor triallist’s 15th birthday if both the minor’s and the club’s domicile are located in Europe;

b) the club obtains express written permission from the minor triallist’s parents;

c) the club designates an employee within the club to be the point of contact for the minor triallist;

d) the club ensures that the minor triallist is provided with optimum accommodation and living standards and adequate coverage of expenses; and

e) for amateur minor players below the age of 16, the current club of the minor is informed of the trial and provided with the complete and duly signed FIFA Trial Form.

9. A minor may only attend two trials per calendar year, each of them subject to the maximum duration stipulated in article 19ter paragraph 4.

Other matters

10. Collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level, in accordance with national law, may deviate from the minimum standards stipulated above and/or establish additional conditions when a player may leave his current club to attend a trial.

Sanctions

11. Any failure to fulfil a condition agreed in a FIFA Trial Form or to upload a complete and duly signed FIFA Trial Form and/or any violation of this provision will be sanctioned by the Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the FIFA Disciplinary Code. In such proceedings, both the triallist and the club concerned will have the procedural status of a party before the Disciplinary Committee.

08. Training compensation and solidarity mechanism

Article 20 – Training compensation

Training compensation shall be paid to a player’s training club(s): (1) when a player is registered for the first time as a professional, and (2) each time a professional is transferred until the end of the calendar year of his 23rd birthday. The obligation to pay training compensation arises whether the transfer takes place during or at the end of the player’s contract. The provisions concerning training compensation are set out in Annexe 4 of these regulations. The principles of training compensation shall not apply to women’s football.

Article 21 – Solidarity mechanism

If a professional is transferred before the expiry of his contract, any club that has contributed to his education and training shall receive a proportion of the compensation paid to his former club (solidarity contribution). The provisions concerning solidarity contributions are set out in Annexe 5 of these regulations.

09. Player Participation in Transfer Fees

Article 21bis – Player participation in transfer fees

1. Clubs and players are free to agree on a player’s participation in a transfer fee paid for that same player.

2. In the context of permanent international transfers, the following applies mandatorily to players earning less than a yearly fixed remuneration of EUR 150,000 (or its equivalent) with the releasing club during the season in which the international transfer occurs:

a) The releasing club must pay an amount equal to 5% of the total fixed transfer fee effectively received directly to the player.

b) The player can partially waive their participation. Such a waiver may only apply to the portion of the participation of 5% exceeding the higher of (i) the player’s fixed remuneration for the last year of contract with the releasing club or (ii) 2.5% of the total fixed transfer compensation. Any waiver that would result in a lower participation shall be disregarded for the proportion exceeding these limits.

c) If the fixed transfer fee is paid in instalments, the player’s participation shall be paid on a pro rata basis following receipt of the instalments by the releasing club. In any event, the participation shall be subject to tax, social security or other mandatory deductions.

3. No entitlement to participate shall exist under this article where:

a) this is either prohibited by national law, by applicable domestic regulations in force when these regulations are adopted, or by a collective bargaining agreement validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level, or

b) a national law or such a collective bargaining agreement establishes a similar concept, under which a player is entitled to participate in the transfer fee, irrespective of whether such entitlement to participate would be payable by either the releasing or the engaging club according to their national law or such a collective bargaining agreement.

10. Jurisdiction

Article 22 – Competence of FIFA

1. Without prejudice to the right of any player, coach, association, or club to seek redress before a civil court for employment-related disputes, FIFA is competent to hear:

a) disputes between clubs and players in relation to the maintenance of contractual stability (articles 13-18) where there has been an ITC request and a claim from an interested party in relation to said ITC request, in particular regarding the issue of the ITC, sporting sanctions or compensation for breach of contract;

b) employment-related disputes between a club and a player of an international dimension; the aforementioned parties may, however, explicitly opt in writing for such disputes to be decided by a national dispute resolution chamber (NDRC), or a national dispute resolution body operating under an equivalent name, that has been officially recognised by FIFA in accordance with the National Dispute Resolution Chamber Recognition Principles. Any such jurisdiction clause must be exclusive and included either directly in the contract or in a collective bargaining agreement applicable to the parties;

c) employment-related disputes between a club or an association and a coach of an international dimension; clubs and coaches may, however, explicitly opt in writing for disputes between them to be decided by an NDRC, or a national dispute resolution body operating under an equivalent name, that has been officially recognised by FIFA in accordance with the National Dispute Resolution Chamber Recognition Principles. Any such jurisdiction clause must be exclusive and included either directly in the contract or in a collective bargaining agreement applicable to the parties;

d) disputes relating to training compensation (article 20) and the solidarity mechanism (article 21) between clubs belonging to different associations, that are not governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations;

e) disputes relating to training compensation (article 20) and the solidarity mechanism (article 21) between clubs belonging to the same association provided that the transfer of a player at the basis of the dispute occurs between clubs belonging to different associations, that are not governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations;

f) disputes relating to the participation of a player in a transfer fee (art. 21bis), provided that the transfer to which the dispute relates is made between clubs belonging to different associations;

g) matters of legal or factual complexity in an EPP review process in accordance with article 10 paragraph 3 of the FIFA Clearing House Regulations and disputes between clubs in accordance with article 18 paragraph 2 of the FIFA Clearing House Regulations; and

h) disputes between clubs belonging to different associations that do not fall within the cases provided for in a), d), e) and f).

2. FIFA is competent to decide regulatory applications made pursuant to these regulations or any other FIFA regulations.

Article 23 – Football Tribunal

1. The Dispute Resolution Chamber of the Football Tribunal shall adjudicate on any of the cases described in article 22 paragraphs 1 a), b), d), e) and f).

2. The Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal shall adjudicate on any of the cases described in article 22 paragraphs 1 c) and g), and 2.

3. The Football Tribunal shall not hear any case subject to these regulations if more than two years have elapsed since the event giving rise to the dispute. Application of this time limit shall be examined ex officio in each individual case.

4. The procedures for lodging claims in relation to the disputes described in article 22 are contained in the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal.

5. In cases of overdue payables or outstanding remuneration, the Football Tribunal shall award standard interest for late payment at the rate of 8% per annum, subject to a valid request from the claimant and without prejudice to a contractually agreed interest rate. The Football Tribunal shall have discretion to apply a lower interest rate if justified by the exceptional circumstances of a case.

Article 24 – Consequences for failure to pay relevant amounts in due time

1. When:

a) the Football Tribunal orders a party (a club or a player) to pay another party (a club or a player), the consequences of the failure to pay the relevant amounts in due time shall be included in the decision;

b) parties to a dispute accept (or do not reject) a proposal made by the FIFA general secretariat pursuant to the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal, the consequences of the failure to pay the relevant amounts in due time shall be included in the confirmation letter.

2. Such consequences shall be the following:

a) Against a club: a ban from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, up until the due amounts are paid. The overall maximum duration of the registration ban shall be of up to three entire and consecutive registration periods, subject to paragraph 7 below;

b) Against a player: a restriction on playing in official matches up until the due amounts are paid. The overall maximum duration of the restriction shall be of up to six months on playing in official matches, subject to paragraph 7 below.

3. Such consequences may be excluded where the Football Tribunal has:

a) imposed a sporting sanction on the basis of article 12bis, 17 or 18quater in the same case; or

b) been informed that the debtor club was subject to an insolvency-related event pursuant to the relevant national law and is legally unable to comply with an order.

4. Where such consequences are applied, the debtor must pay the full amount due (including all applicable interest) to the creditor within 45 days of notification of the decision.

5. The 45-day time limit shall commence from notification of the decision or confirmation letter.

a) The time limit is paused by a valid request for the grounds of the decision. Following notification of the grounds of the decision, the time limit shall recommence.

b) The time limit is also paused by an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

6. The debtor shall make full payment (including all applicable interest) to the bank account provided by the creditor, as set out in the decision or confirmation letter.

7. Where the debtor fails to make full payment (including all applicable interest) within the time limit, and the decision has become final and binding:

a) the creditor may request that FIFA enforce the consequences;

b) upon receipt of such request, FIFA shall inform the debtor that the consequences shall apply;

c) the consequences shall apply immediately upon notification by FIFA, including, for the avoidance of doubt, if they are applied during an open registration period. In such cases, the remainder of that registration period shall be the first “entire” registration period for the purposes of paragraph 2 a);

d) the consequences may only be lifted in accordance with paragraph 8 below.

8. Where the consequences are enforced, the debtor must provide proof of payment to FIFA of the full amount (including all applicable interest), in order for them to be lifted.

a) Upon receipt of the proof of payment, FIFA shall immediately request that the creditor confirm receipt of full payment (including all applicable interest) within five days.

b) Upon receipt of confirmation from the creditor, or after expiry of the time limit in the case of no response, FIFA shall notify the parties that the consequences are lifted.

c) The consequences shall be lifted immediately upon notification by FIFA.

d) Notwithstanding the above, where full payment (including all applicable interest) has not been made, the consequences shall remain in force until their complete serving.

Article 25 – Implementation of decisions and confirmation letters

1. The sporting successor of a debtor shall be considered the debtor and be subject to any decision or confirmation letter issued by the Football Tribunal. The criteria to assess whether an entity is the sporting successor of another entity are, among others, its headquarters, name, legal form, team colours, players, shareholders or stakeholders or ownership and the category of competition.

2. Where a debtor is instructed to pay a creditor a sum of money (outstanding amounts or compensation) by the Football Tribunal:

a) payment is made when the debtor pays the full amount instructed (including any applicable interest) to the creditor;

b) payment is not deemed to have been made where the debtor makes any unilateral deduction from the full amount instructed (including any applicable interest).

3. The following actions do not contravene a registration ban described in article 12bis, 17, 18quater or 24:

a) the return from loan of a professional, solely where the loan agreement expires naturally;

b) the extension of the loan of a professional, beyond the natural expiry of the loan agreement;

c) the definitive engagement of a professional who was temporarily registered for the club directly prior to the registration ban being imposed;

d) the registration of a professional who was already registered with the club as an amateur directly prior to the registration ban being imposed.

11. Final provisions

Article 26 – Transitional measures

1. For all cases brought before the Football Tribunal for adjudication:

a) These regulations apply to cases where the facts giving rise to the dispute arose after these regulations enter into force.

b) Article 21bis and article 17 paragraph 1 of these regulations apply only to contracts concluded as of the date on which these regulations enter into force.

c) All other cases shall be assessed according to the previous regulations.

2. Member associations shall amend their regulations in accordance with article 1 to ensure that they comply with these regulations and shall submit them to FIFA for approval.

Article 27 – Matters not provided for

Any matters not provided for in these regulations and cases of force majeure shall be decided by the FIFA Council whose decisions are final.

Article 28 – Official languages

In the case of any discrepancy in the interpretation of the English, French or Spanish texts of these regulations, the English text shall be authoritative.

Article 29 – Enforcement

These regulations were approved by the Bureau of the Council on 10 June 2026 and come into force on 1 January 2027.

Annexes

ANNEXE 1 – Release of players to association teams

Article 1 – Principles for men’s football

1. Clubs are obliged to release their registered players to the representative teams of the country for which the player is eligible to play on the basis of his nationality if they are called up by the association concerned. Any agreement between a player and a club to the contrary is prohibited.

2. The release of players under the terms of paragraph 1 of this article is mandatory for all international windows listed in the international match calendar (cf. paragraphs 3 and 4 below) as well as for the final competitions of the FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the championships for “A” representative teams of the confederations, subject to the relevant association being a member of the organising confederation.

3. After consultation with the relevant stakeholders, FIFA publishes the international match calendar for the period of four or eight years. It will include all international windows for the relevant period (cf. paragraph 4 below). Following the publication of the international match calendar only the final competitions of the FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the championships for “A” representative teams of the confederations will be added.

4. An international window is defined as a period of nine days starting on a Monday morning and ending on Tuesday night the following week (subject to the temporary exceptions below), which is reserved for representative teams’ activities. During any international window a maximum of two matches may be played by each representative team (subject to the temporary exceptions below), irrespective of whether these matches are qualifying matches for an international tournament or friendlies. The pertinent matches can be scheduled any day as from Wednesday during the international window, provided that a minimum of two full calendar days are left between two matches (e.g. Thursday/Sunday or Saturday/Tuesday).

i. The international window of September-October as from 2026 shall consist of a period of 16 days, during which a maximum of four matches may be played by each representative team.

5. Representative teams shall play the pertinent matches within an international window on the territory of the same confederation, with the only exception of intercontinental play-off matches. If at least one of the two matches is a friendly, they can be played in two different confederations only if the distance between the venues does not exceed a total of five flight hours, according to the official schedule of the airline, and two time zones.

6. It is not compulsory to release players outside an international window or outside the final competitions (as per paragraph 2 above) included in the international match calendar. It is not compulsory to release the same player for more than one “A” representative team final competition per year. Exceptions to this rule can be established by the FIFA Council for the FIFA Confederations Cup only.

7. For international windows, players must be released and start the travel to join their representative team no later than Monday morning and must start the travel back to their club no later than the next Wednesday morning following the end of the international window. For a final competition in the sense of paragraphs 2 and 3 above, players must be released and start the travel to their representative team no later than Monday morning the week preceding the week when the relevant final competition starts and must be released by the association in the morning of the day after the last match of their team in the tournament.

8. The clubs and associations concerned may agree a longer period of release or different arrangements with regard to paragraph 7 above.

9. Players complying with a call-up from their association under the terms of this article shall resume duty with their clubs no later than 24 hours after the end of the period for which they had to be released. This period shall be extended to 48 hours if the representative teams’ activities concerned took place in a different confederation to the one in which the player’s club is registered. Clubs shall be informed in writing of a player’s outbound and return schedule ten days before the start of the release period. Associations shall ensure that players are able to return to their clubs on time after the match.

10. If a player does not resume duty with his club by the deadline stipulated in this article, at the request of his club, the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal may decide that the next time the player is called up by his association the period of release shall be shortened as follows:

a) international window: by two days;

b) final competition of an international tournament: by five days.

11. In the event of a repeated violation of these provisions, at the request of his club, the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal may decide to:

a) issue a fine;

b) further reduce the period of release;

c) ban the association from calling up the player(s) for subsequent representative-team activities.

12. Competition Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup™ may establish exceptions.

Article 1bis – Principles for women’s football

1. Clubs are obliged to release their registered players to the representative teams of their country for which the player is eligible to play on the basis of her nationality if they are called up by the association concerned. Any agreement between the player and a club to the contrary is prohibited.

2. The release of players under the terms of paragraph 1 of this article is mandatory for all international windows listed in the women’s international match calendar (cf. paragraphs 3 and 4 below) as well as for the final competitions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, the championships for women’s “A” representative teams of the confederations, subject to the relevant association being a member of the organising confederation, and the confederations’ final-round qualification tournaments for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament.

3. After consultation with the relevant stakeholders, FIFA publishes the women’s international match calendar for a period of four years. It will include all international windows for the relevant period (cf. paragraph 4 below), as well as blocked periods for the final competitions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament and the championships for women’s “A” representative teams of the confederations, as well as for the confederations’ final-round qualification tournaments for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. Following the publication of the women’s international match calendar, only the specific dates for the final competitions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament and the championships for women’s “A” representative teams of the confederations, as well as the confederations’ final-round qualification tournaments for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, will be added within the respective blocked periods. The final competitions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament and the championships for the women’s “A” representative teams of the confederations, as well as the final-round qualification tournaments for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament must be played within the respective stipulated blocked periods and confederations are required to notify FIFA of the dates, in writing, at the latest two years in advance of the respective championships for women’s “A” representative teams or final-round tournaments.

4. There are two types of international windows, both of which are reserved for representative teams’ activities:

a) Type I is defined as a period of nine days starting on a Monday morning and ending on a Tuesday night the following week. During the type I international window, a maximum of two matches may be played by each representative team, irrespective of whether these matches are qualifying matches for an international tournament or friendlies. The pertinent matches can be scheduled on any day as from Wednesday during the international window, provided that a minimum of two full calendar days are left between matches (e.g. Thursday/Sunday or Saturday/Tuesday).

b) Type II is defined as a period of 12 days starting on a Tuesday morning and ending on Saturday night the following week. During the type II international window, a maximum of three matches may be played by each representative team. The pertinent matches can be scheduled on any day as from Thursday during the international window, provided that a minimum of two full calendar days are left between matches (e.g. Thursday/Sunday/Wednesday or Friday/Monday/Thursday).

5. It is not compulsory to release players outside an international window or outside the competitions listed in paragraph 2 above that are included in the women’s international match calendar.

6. For the type I international window, players must be released and start the travel to join their representative team no later than Monday morning and must start the travel back to their club no later than the next Wednesday morning following the end of the international window.

For the type II international window, players must be released and start the travel to join their representative team no later than Tuesday morning and must start the travel back to their club no later than the next Sunday morning following the end of the international window.

For the confederations’ final-round qualification tournaments for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, players must be released and start the travel to join their representative team no later than Monday morning before the opening match of the qualification tournament and must be released by the association on the morning of the day after the last match of their team in the tournament.

For these qualification tournaments, the maximum total period of release (between leaving Monday morning and the day of release back to the club by the association) is 16 days. For the other final competitions in the sense of paragraphs 2 and 3 above, players must be released and start the travel to their representative team no later than the Monday morning of the week preceding the week when the relevant final competition starts, and must be released by the association on the morning of the day after the last match of their team in the tournament.

7. The clubs and associations concerned may agree a longer period of release or different arrangements with regard to paragraph 6 above.

8. Players complying with a call-up from their association under the terms of this article shall resume duty with their clubs no later than 24 hours after the end of the period for which they had to be released. This period shall be extended to 48 hours if the representative teams’ activities concerned took place in a different confederation to the one in which the player’s club is registered. Clubs shall be informed in writing of a player’s outbound and return schedule ten days before the start of the release period. Associations shall ensure that players are able to return to their clubs on time after the match.

9. If a player does not resume duty with her club by the deadline stipulated in this article, at the request of her club, the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal may decide that the next time the player is called up by her association the period of release shall be shortened as follows:

a) international window: by two days;

b) final competition of an international tournament: by five days.

10. In the event of a repeated violation of these provisions, at the request of her club, the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal may decide to:

a) issue a fine;

b) further reduce the period of release;

c) ban the association from calling up the player(s) for subsequent representative-team activities.

11. As of the final stages of the final competitions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament and the championships for women’s “A” representative teams of the confederations, the association(s) are encouraged to provide a family-friendly environment for female players with children.

Article 1ter – Principles for futsal

1. Clubs are obliged to release their registered players to the representative teams of the country for which the player is eligible to play on the basis of his nationality if they are called up by the association concerned. Any agreement between a player and a club to the contrary is prohibited.

2. The release of players under the terms of paragraph 1 of this article is mandatory for all international windows listed in the futsal international match calendar (cf. paragraphs 3 and 4 below) as well as for the final competitions of the FIFA Futsal World Cup and of the championships for “A” representative teams of the confederations, subject to the relevant association being a member of the organising confederation.

3. After consultation with the relevant stakeholders, FIFA publishes the futsal international match calendar for the period of four years. It will include all international windows for the relevant period (cf. paragraph 4 below). Following the publication of the futsal international match calendar, only the final competitions of the FIFA Futsal World Cup and of the championships for “A” representative teams of the confederations will be added.

4. There are two types of international windows:

a) Type I is defined as a period of ten days starting on a Monday morning and ending on Wednesday night the following week, which is reserved for representative teams’ activities. During a Type I international window, a maximum of four matches may be played by each representative team, irrespective of whether these matches are qualifying matches for an international tournament or friendlies. Representative teams can play the maximum of four matches within an international window of Type I in no more than two confederations.

b) Type II is defined as a period of four days starting on a Sunday morning and ending on Wednesday night the following week, which is reserved for representative teams’ activities. During a Type II international window, a maximum of two matches may be played by each representative team, irrespective of whether these matches are qualifying matches for an international tournament or friendlies. Representative teams shall play the maximum of two matches within an international window of Type II on the territory of the same confederation.

5. It is not compulsory to release players outside an international window or outside the final competitions as per paragraph 2 above included in the futsal international match calendar.

6. For both types of international windows, players must be released and start the travel to join their representative team no later than the first morning of the window (i.e. Sunday or Monday, respectively), and must start the travel back to their club no later than the Thursday morning following the end of the international window. For a final competition of the championships for “A” representative teams of the confederations, players must be released and start the travel to their representative team in the morning 12 days before the relevant final competition starts and must be released by the association in the morning of the day after the last match of their team in the tournament. For the FIFA Futsal World Cup, players must be released and start the travel to their representative team in the morning 14 days before the World Cup starts and must be released by the association in the morning of the day after the last match of their team in the tournament.

7. The clubs and associations concerned may agree a longer period of release or different arrangements with regard to paragraph 6 above.

8. Players complying with a call-up from their association under the terms of this article shall resume duty with their clubs no later than 24 hours after the end of the period for which they had to be released. This period shall be extended to 48 hours if the representative teams’ activities concerned took place in a different confederation to the one in which the player’s club is registered. Clubs shall be informed in writing of a player’s outbound and return schedule ten days before the start of the release period. Associations shall ensure that players are able to return to their clubs on time after the match.

9. If a player does not resume duty with his club by the deadline stipulated in this article, at the request of his club, the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal may decide that the next time the player is called up by his association the period of release shall be shortened as follows:

a) international windows: by two days;

b) final competition of an international tournament: by five days.

10. In the event of a repeated violation of these provisions, at the request of his club, the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal may decide to:

a) issue a fine;

b) further reduce the period of release;

c) ban the association from calling up the player(s) for subsequent representative-team activities.

Article 2 – Financial provisions and insurance

1. Clubs releasing a player in accordance with the provisions of this annexe are not entitled to financial compensation.

2. The association calling up a player shall bear the costs of travel incurred by the player as a result of the call-up.

3. The club with which the player concerned is registered shall be responsible for his insurance cover against illness and accident during the entire period of his release. This cover must also extend to any injuries sustained by the player during the international match(es) for which he was released.

4. If a professional player participating in eleven-a-side football suffers during the period of his release for an international “A” match a bodily injury caused by an accident and is, as a consequence of such an injury, temporarily totally disabled, the club with which the player concerned is registered will be indemnified by FIFA. The terms and conditions of the indemnification, including the loss-handling procedures, are set forth in the Technical Bulletin – Club Protection Programme.

Article 3 – Calling up players

1. As a general rule, every player registered with a club is obliged to respond affirmatively when called up by the association he is eligible to represent on the basis of his nationality to play for one of its representative teams.

2. Associations wishing to call up a player must notify the player in writing at least 15 days before the first day of the international window (cf. Annexe 1, article 1 paragraph 4) in which the representative teams’ activities for which he is required will take place. Associations wishing to call up a player for the final competition of an international tournament must notify the player in writing at least 15 days before the beginning of the relevant release period. The player’s club shall also be informed in writing at the same time. Equally, associations are advised to copy the association of the clubs concerned into the summons. The club must confirm the release of the player within the following six days.

3. Associations that request FIFA’s help to obtain the release of a player playing abroad may only do so under the following two conditions:

a) The association at which the player is registered has been asked to intervene without success.

b) The case is submitted to FIFA at least five days before the day of the match for which the player is needed.

Article 4 – Injured players

A player who due to injury or illness is unable to comply with a call-up from the association that he is eligible to represent on the basis of his nationality shall, if the association so requires, agree to undergo a medical examination by a doctor of that association’s choice. If the player so wishes, such medical examination shall take place on the territory of the association at which he is registered.

Article 5 – Restrictions on playing

A player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless otherwise agreed by the relevant association, not entitled to play for the club with which he is registered during the period for which he has been released or should have been released pursuant to the provisions of this annexe, plus an additional period of five days.

Article 6 – Disciplinary measures

Violations of any of the provisions set forth in this annexe shall result in the imposition of disciplinary measures to be decided by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee based on the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

ANNEXE 2 – Rules for the employment of coaches

Article 1 – Scope

1. This annexe lays down rules concerning contracts between coaches and professional clubs or associations.

2. This annexe applies to coaches that are:

a) paid more for their coaching activity than the expenses they effectively incur; and

b) employed by a professional club or an association.

3. This annexe applies equally to football and futsal coaches.

4. Each association shall include in its regulations appropriate means to protect contractual stability between coaches and clubs or associations, paying due respect to mandatory national law and collective bargaining agreements.

5. The following provisions relating to female players equally apply to female coaches: articles 18 paragraph 7 and 18quater [with the exception of paragraph 4 a) and b)].

Article 2 – Employment contract

1. A coach must have a written contract with a club or an association, executed on an individual basis.

2. A contract shall include the essential elements of an employment contract, such as inter alia the object of the contract, the rights and obligations of the parties, the status and occupation of the parties, the agreed remuneration, the duration of the contract and the signatures of each party.

3. Any employment contract that is concluded following the provision of football agent services shall specify the football agent’s name, their client, their FIFA licence number and their signature, in accordance with the FIFA Football Agent Regulations.

4. The validity of a contract may not be made subject to:

a) the granting of a work or residence permit;

b) the requirement to hold a specific coaching licence; or

c) other requirements of an administrative or regulatory nature.

5. In their employment process, clubs and associations must act with due diligence in order to ensure that the coach meets the necessary requirements to be engaged (e.g. holding the required coaching licence) and performs their duties.

6. Contractual clauses granting the club or the association additional time to pay the coach amounts that have fallen due under the terms of the contract (“grace periods”) shall not be recognised. Grace periods contained in collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level in accordance with national law shall, however, be legally binding and recognised. Contracts existing at the time of this provision coming into force shall not be affected by this prohibition.

Article 3 – Respect of contracts

A contract may only be terminated upon expiry of its term or by mutual agreement.

Article 4 – Terminating a contract with just cause

1. A contract may be terminated by either party without the payment of compensation where there is just cause. In general, just cause shall exist in any circumstance in which a party can no longer reasonably and in good faith be expected to continue a contractual relationship.

2. Any abusive conduct of a party aimed at forcing the counterparty to terminate or change the terms of the contract shall entitle the counterparty to terminate the contract with just cause.

Article 5 – Terminating a contract with just cause for outstanding salaries

1. In the case of a club or association unlawfully failing to pay a coach at least two monthly salaries on their due dates, the coach will be deemed to have a just cause to terminate their contract, provided that they have put the debtor club or association in default in writing and granted a deadline of at least 15 days for the debtor club or association to fully comply with its financial obligation(s).

Alternative provisions in contracts existing at the time of this provision coming into force may be considered.

2. For any salaries of a coach which are not due on a monthly basis, the pro-rata value corresponding to two months shall be considered. Delayed payment of an amount which is equal to at least two months shall also be deemed a just cause for the coach to terminate their contract, subject to compliance with the notice of termination as per paragraph 1 above.

3. Collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level in accordance with national law may deviate from the principles stipulated in paragraphs 1 and 2 above. The terms of such an agreement shall prevail.

Article 6 – Consequences of a breach of contract

Agreed compensation

1. Parties are free to contractually agree on the financial compensation payable in the event of a breach of contract (the “agreed compensation”), subject to the following:

a) The agreement does not have to be reciprocal.

b) The Football Tribunal shall reduce an agreed compensation with restraint and only if it is excessively high. The Football Tribunal shall disregard an agreed compensation if it is manifestly unfair.

Calculation of compensation

2. Absent an agreed compensation, a party that suffers from a breach of contract is entitled to full compensation for the damage caused by the breach. Compensation shall be calculated taking into account the damage suffered, having regard to the individual circumstances of each case and subject to the criteria below.

Compensation due to a coach

3. If the coach did not sign a new contract following the termination of their previous contract, as a general rule, the compensation shall be equal to the residual value of the contract that was prematurely terminated.

4. If the coach signed a new contract by the time of the decision, the value of the new contract for the period corresponding to the time remaining on the prematurely terminated contract shall be deducted from the residual value of the contract that was terminated early (the “mitigated compensation”). Furthermore, and subject to the early termination of the contract being due to overdue payables, in addition to the mitigated compensation, the coach shall be entitled to an amount corresponding to three monthly salaries (the “additional compensation”).

In case of egregious circumstances, the additional compensation may be increased up to a maximum of six monthly salaries. The overall compensation may never exceed the residual value of the prematurely terminated contract.

Compensation due to a club or association

5. A club or association shall be awarded full compensation for the damage caused by the breach. Depending on the circumstances of each case, this damage shall take into account, in particular, the value of the services of the coach.

Collective bargaining agreements

6. Collective bargaining agreements validly negotiated by employers’ and employees’ representatives at domestic level in accordance with national law may deviate from the principles stipulated in paragraphs 3-5 above. The terms of such an agreement shall prevail.

Non-assignment

7. Entitlement to compensation cannot be assigned to a third party.

Article 7 – Overdue payables

1. Clubs and associations are required to comply with their financial obligations towards coaches as per the terms stipulated in the contracts signed with their coaches.

2. Any club or association found to have delayed a due payment for more than 30 days without a prima facie contractual basis may be sanctioned in accordance with paragraph 4 below.

3. In order for a club or an association to be considered to have overdue payables in the sense of the present article, the creditor coach must have put the debtor club or association in default in writing and have granted a deadline of at least ten days for the debtor club or association to comply with its financial obligation(s).

4. Within the scope of its jurisdiction, the Football Tribunal may impose the following sanctions:

a) a warning;

b) a reprimand;

c) a fine.

5. The sanctions provided for in paragraph 4 above may be applied cumulatively.

6. A repeated offence will be considered an aggravating circumstance and lead to a more severe penalty.

7. The terms of the present article are without prejudice to the payment of compensation in accordance with article 6 paragraph 2 above in the event of unilateral termination of the contractual relationship.

Article 8 – Consequences for failure to pay relevant amounts in due time

1. When:

a) the Football Tribunal orders a party (a club, a coach or an association) to pay another party (a club, a coach or an association) a sum of money (outstanding amounts or compensation), the consequences of the failure to pay the relevant amounts in due time shall be included in the decision;

b) parties to a dispute accept (or do not reject) a proposal made by the FIFA general secretariat pursuant to the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal, the consequences of the failure to pay the relevant amounts in due time shall be included in the confirmation letter.

2. Such consequences shall be the following:

a) Against a club: a ban from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, up until the due amounts are paid. The overall maximum duration of the registration ban shall be of up to three entire and consecutive registration periods, subject to paragraph 7 below.

b) Against an association: a restriction on receiving a percentage of development funding, up until the due amounts are paid, subject to paragraph 7 below.

c) Against a coach: a restriction on any football-related activity up until the due amounts are paid. The overall maximum duration of the restriction shall be of up to six months, subject to paragraph 7 below.

3. Such consequences may be excluded where the Football Tribunal has been informed that the debtor club or association was subject to an insolvency-related event pursuant to the relevant national law and is legally unable to comply with an order.

4. Where such consequences are applied, the debtor must pay the full amount (including all applicable interest) due to the creditor within 45 days of notification of the decision.

5. The 45-day time limit shall commence from notification of the decision or confirmation letter.

a) The time limit is paused by a valid request for grounds of the decision. Following notification of the grounds of the decision, the time limit shall recommence.

b) The time limit is also paused by an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

6. The debtor shall make full payment (including all applicable interest) to the bank account provided by the creditor, as set out in the decision or confirmation letter.

7. Where the debtor fails to make full payment (including all applicable interest) within the time limit, and the decision has become final and binding:

a) the creditor may request that FIFA enforce the consequences;

b) upon receipt of such request, FIFA shall inform the debtor that the consequences shall apply;

c) the consequences shall apply immediately upon notification by FIFA, including, for the avoidance of doubt, if they are applied during an open registration period. In such cases, the remainder of that registration period shall be the first “entire” registration period for the purposes of paragraph 2 a);

d) the consequences may only be lifted in accordance with paragraph 8 below.

8. Where the consequences are enforced, the debtor must provide proof of full payment (including all applicable interest) to FIFA, for the consequences to be lifted.

a) Upon receipt of the proof of payment, FIFA shall immediately request that the creditor confirm receipt of full payment within five days.

b) Upon receipt of confirmation from the creditor, or after expiry of the time limit in the case of no response, FIFA shall notify the parties that the consequences are lifted.

c) The consequences shall be lifted immediately upon notification by FIFA.

d) Notwithstanding the above, where full payment (including all applicable interest) has not been made, the consequences shall remain in force until their complete serving.

9. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions set out in article 25 apply equally to this annexe.

ANNEXE 3 – International transfer of players and transfer matching system

TITLE I. GENERAL RULES

Article 1 – Objectives

1. The transfer matching system (TMS) is designed to fulfil the objectives of the football transfer system.

2. TMS also has the following specific objectives:

a) to monitor and regulate the procedure for the international transfers of players;

b) to provide football authorities with information concerning the football transfer system;

c) to increase the transparency, efficiency and credibility of the international football transfer system;

d) to clearly distinguish between the different payments in relation to international player transfers; and

e) to guarantee the protection of minors.

Article 2 – Scope

1. This annexe governs the procedure for the international transfer of players in TMS.

2. It is mandatory for associations and clubs to use TMS for the international transfer of professional and amateur players in eleven-a-side football.

3. FIFA provides free access to TMS to associations and clubs. No one shall be charged for any activity performed in TMS.

TITLE II. TMS USERS

Article 3 – General provisions

1. In the context of the international transfer of players, TMS users will be authorised to perform actions in TMS on behalf of a club or an association, in line with the permissions granted to each of them by FIFA.

2. The FIFA general secretariat is authorised to perform actions provided for in this annexe.

Article 4 – Procedure to obtain access to TMS

1. Only users authorised by FIFA shall have access to TMS.

Associations

2. To access TMS for the first time, an association shall appoint at least two TMS users, who shall undergo training provided by FIFA.

3. An association may appoint a new TMS user at any time. The new TMS user shall be trained by an existing authorised TMS user of the association. Upon completion of the training, the association shall submit a new user request via TMS.

Clubs

4. To access TMS for the first time, a club shall appoint at least one TMS user, who shall undergo training provided by the association to which the club is affiliated. Upon completion of the training, the association shall submit a new user request via TMS.

5. A club may appoint a new TMS user at any time. The new TMS user shall be trained by an existing authorised TMS user of the club, or in the absence of any existing TMS users, by the association to which the club is affiliated. Upon completion of the training, the association shall submit a new user request via TMS.

Article 5 – TMS user requirements

1. To be eligible as a TMS user, an individual:

a) shall be a direct employee of the relevant club or association. In the absence of employees, a volunteer or executive member could be permissible;

b) shall be trained to use TMS by a TMS user of the relevant association or club, or by completing the TMS e-learning training programme;

c) shall have basic computer skills;

d) shall have a good working knowledge of at least one of the following official FIFA languages: English, French or Spanish;

e) shall pass a background check run by FIFA, ensuring in particular that the prospective user has never been convicted of a criminal charge regarding matters related to: organised crime, drug trafficking, corruption, bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, fraud, match manipulation, misappropriation of funds, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty, forgery, legal malpractice, sexual abuse, violent crimes, harassment, exploitation of child or vulnerable young adult trafficking, and/or similar;

f) cannot be an active TMS user for more than one organisation at the same time;

g) cannot hold any position or perform any activity that could generate a conflict of interest;

h) cannot be a professional football player;

i) cannot be a football agent;

j) shall provide a personal email address (corporate if possible) that is not general or shared; and

k) shall be 18 years of age or older.

2. An association may define additional minimum requirements for TMS users within its jurisdiction.

TITLE III. OBLIGATIONS

Article 6 – General obligations: clubs and associations

1. Clubs and associations are responsible for all actions undertaken by their respective appointed TMS users.

2. Clubs and associations shall always:

a) act in good faith;

b) abide by the FIFA Statutes and all FIFA regulations;

c) inform FIFA of any suspected breaches of FIFA regulations;

d) maintain confidentiality over all data in TMS, apply the highest degree of care to guarantee complete confidentiality and only use confidential data for the purpose of completing player transfers in which they are directly involved;

e) ensure that only their authorised TMS users may access TMS on their behalf;

f) check TMS at regular intervals to ensure they are in a position to comply with their obligations at all time;

g) perform pending actions in TMS without delay;

h) ensure that they have all of the necessary equipment, training and know-how to fulfil their obligations;

i) use TMS only for the purposes set out in the FIFA regulations;

j) ensure that the email address of any authorised TMS user is valid and always kept up to date;

k) request the deactivation of an account of an authorised TMS user who is no longer authorised to use TMS on their behalf;

l) ensure that all information entered is true and correct;

m) ensure that all documents uploaded in TMS are authentic, complete and legible. Documents uploaded shall conform to the type requested (e.g. an “employment contract” shall not be uploaded in the “transfer agreement” section). Documents shall be uploaded in PDF format; and

n) if requested by the FIFA general secretariat, upload a translation of a document (or an excerpt thereof) into one of the following official languages of FIFA: English, French or Spanish.

3. To ensure that clubs and associations are fulfilling their obligations in respect of this annexe, the FIFA general secretariat shall investigate matters in relation to international transfers. Clubs and associations shall collaborate in the event of an investigation being carried out by FIFA concerning international transfers of players and the clubs’ and associations’ use of TMS. In particular, they shall collaborate to establish the facts and comply, within the granted deadline, with requests for any documents, information or any other materials of any nature held by them or, if not held by them, which they are entitled to obtain within the time limits established by FIFA.

Article 7 – Specific obligations: clubs

Clubs with access to TMS shall:

a) always have at least one TMS user;

b) ensure that their contact details (postal address, telephone, and email address) are valid and always kept up to date;

c) ensure that their own bank account details are valid and always kept up to date;

d) enter and confirm transfer instructions and (where applicable) ensure that the required information matches (cf. art. 10 of this annexe); and

e) declare all payments made in the context of an international transfer.

Article 8 – Specific obligations: associations

1. Associations shall:

a) monitor the activity of their affiliated clubs in TMS to verify compliance with this annexe, and inform FIFA about any potential infringements;

b) always have at least two authorised TMS users;

c) provide their affiliated clubs with ongoing TMS training;

d) ensure that their contact details (postal address, telephone number and email address) and those of their affiliated clubs are valid and always kept up to date;

e) ensure that their bank account details are valid and always kept up to date;

f) enter the training category of their affiliated clubs;

g) ensure that their affiliated clubs and registered players are assigned a FIFA ID and, when required, resolve duplicate entries concerning their affiliated clubs and registered players without delay;

h) confirm or reject newly created players (cf. art. 13 of this annexe);

i) carry out the ITC procedure (cf. art. 11 of this annexe);

j) enter transfers of amateur players on behalf of affiliated clubs that do not have access to TMS (cf. art. 10 of this annexe); and

k) enter all required data related to dates of competitions periods, seasons and registration periods, as applicable (cf. article 6 of these regulations) at least 12 months before the first match of the relevant season in the following categories of competition, where applicable;

i. Male professional competitions

ii. Female professional competitions

iii. Amateur competitions (female and male)

2. An association may modify in TMS the dates for a registration period that has already been entered in TMS prior to its commencement. The said modification shall be notified to FIFA. Once a registration period has commenced, no modification of its dates is permitted.

Article 9 – FIFA’s role

The FIFA general secretariat is responsible for:

a) assisting TMS users with technical and regulatory issues;

b) managing the access of TMS users;

c) providing ongoing education and support to associations and clubs;

d) entering in TMS any sanctions against a club or association;

e) managing any special procedures identified in this annexe;

f) investigating possible infringements of FIFA regulations related to the use of TMS; and

g) imposing administrative sanctions for breaches of this annexe (cf. art. 17 of this annexe).

TITLE IV. PROCESS FOR TRANSFERRING A PLAYER

Article 10 – Clubs: creating transfer instructions

1. When creating a transfer instruction, clubs shall enter information and upload supporting documents concerning:

a) the instruction type;

b) the player being transferred;

c) the details of the transfer; and

d) the parties involved in the transfer.

2. Clubs shall indicate if the transfer instruction refers to:

a) engaging a player or releasing a player;

b) whether the transfer is permanent or a loan;

c) whether the player will be a professional or an amateur with the new club; and

d) if related to an earlier loan transfer instruction, whether there is:

i. a return from loan;

ii. a loan extension;

iii. a loan being converted into a permanent transfer; or

iv. a loan conclusion (i.e. the loan agreement between the clubs has ended and the player’s employment contract with the former club has also ended).

3. Concerning the player being transferred, clubs shall enter the following information as applicable, depending on the transfer instruction type:

a) Status (amateur or professional) with the former club;

b) Name, nationality(ies), date of birth and gender;

c) For loans, whether the player is a club-trained player (cf. definition 31 of these regulations) and whether the loan occurs before the end of the season of the former club at which the professional turns 21;

d) Start and end dates of the employment contract with the former club;

e) Start and end dates of the employment contract with the new club;

f) Fixed remuneration set out in the employment contract with the new club; and

g) The reason for termination of the employment contract with the former club.

4. With respect to the details of the transfer, clubs shall enter the following information as applicable, depending on the transfer instruction type:

a) Whether there is a transfer agreement with the former club; for the avoidance of doubt, this includes any agreement where the former club waives its right to receive training rewards in exchange for another payment in line with art. 10. par. 4 d) of this annexe;

b) The date of execution of the transfer agreement;

c) The start and end dates of the loan agreement;

d) Whether the transfer is performed against any of the following types of payment:

i. fixed transfer fee, including the amount and date of instalments, if any;

ii. release (buy-out) fee, including the amount and date of instalments, if any;

iii. conditional transfer fee, including the amount and details of conditions; or

iv. sell-on fee, including the percentage.

e) Payment currency;

f) Club bank account details; and

g) A declaration on influence and third-party ownership of the player’s economic rights (cf. arts. 18bis and 18ter of these regulations).

5. With respect to the parties involved in the transfer, clubs shall enter the following information as applicable:

a) the player’s former club;

b) the player’s former association;

c) the player’s new club;

d) the player’s new association;

e) the club football agent’s name, service fee and any other fee paid to the football agent; and

f) the player’s football agent’s name.

6. Clubs are obliged to upload the following mandatory supporting documents regarding the information that has been entered in TMS as applicable, depending on the transfer instruction type:

a) The new club:

i. Proof of the player’s identity (passport or national identity card).

ii. Proof of the end date of the player’s last employment contract and the reason for its termination.

iii. The player’s employment contract with the new club.

iv. The transfer agreement (whether permanent or loan) between the new club and the former club. Where applicable, a copy of any amendments shall be uploaded in TMS as soon as they have been concluded.

v. A copy of the representation agreement entered into with a football agent, if applicable, within 14 days of occurrence. Where applicable, a copy of any amendments shall be uploaded in TMS within 14 days of occurrence.

vi. A copy of any other agreement entered into with a football agent other than a representation agreement, if applicable, within 14 days of occurrence. Where applicable, a copy of any amendments shall be uploaded in TMS within 14 days of occurrence.

b) The former club:

i. Where third-party ownership of the player’s economic rights has been declared (cf. article 10.4 g) of this annexe), the agreement with the third party.

ii. For loans, proof that the professional is a club-trained player (cf. art. 10 par. 3 c) of this annexe).

iii. A copy of the representation agreement signed with a football agent, if applicable, within 14 days of occurrence. Where applicable, a copy of any amendments shall be uploaded in TMS within 14 days of occurrence.

iv. A copy of any agreement entered into with a football agent other than a representation agreement, if applicable, within 14 days of occurrence. Where applicable, a copy of any amendments shall be uploaded in TMS within 14 days of occurrence.

7. Once all of the relevant information has been entered and the mandatory documents have been uploaded, the club(s) shall confirm the transfer in TMS without delay and before the end of the new association’s registration period (subject to the exceptions in art. 6 of these regulations).

8. For international transfers with a transfer agreement (whether permanent or on loan), both clubs shall:

a) independently of each other, enter and confirm the transfer instruction as soon as the agreement has been concluded;

b) ensure that the required information matches; and

c) collaborate to resolve any matching exceptions.

9. This article also applies to associations entering the transfer of an amateur player on behalf of an affiliated club without access to TMS.

Article 11 – Associations: ITC procedure and player registration

1. Once a transfer instruction has been created (cf. art. 10 of this annexe) and (if applicable) the player has been confirmed (cf. art. 13 of this annexe):

a) the new association will be notified in TMS that the transfer instruction is awaiting an ITC request;

b) upon receipt of this notification, the new association will be able to request in TMS that the former association deliver an ITC for the player;

c) at the very latest, the ITC shall be requested on the last day of the new association’s registration period for the transfer to occur during that registration period. An ITC requested after the close of the relevant registration period of the new association (subject to the exceptions in art. 6 of these regulations) will go into validation exception status (cf. art. 14 par. 1 c) of this annexe); and

d) for the international transfer of minors, an ITC may only be requested if the corresponding minor application has been approved by the Football Tribunal or if the player is being registered under a valid limited minor exemption (cf. art. 19 of these regulations).

2. Where the player was a professional at his former club, upon notification of the ITC request, the former association shall immediately request the former club to confirm whether or not:

a) the employment contract has expired; or

b) an early termination was mutually agreed.

3. Within five calendar days of receipt of the ITC request, the former association shall deliver the ITC to the new association. When delivering the ITC to the new association, the former association can indicate whether the former club wishes to reserve financial claims against the player and/or the new club. However, such an indication shall have no impact either on the player’s ability to be registered for a new club or on a possible contractual dispute between the former club, the player and/or the new club.

4. When delivering an ITC, the former association shall upload a copy of any relevant documentation pertaining to disciplinary sanctions imposed on a player and, if applicable, their extension to have worldwide effect (cf. art. 12 of these regulations).

5. Upon delivery of the ITC, the new association shall confirm its receipt, enter the relevant player registration information in TMS and register the player in its electronic registration system without delay.

6. If the former association fails to respond to the ITC request within five calendar days, the new association will be able to register the player with the new club and enter the relevant player registration information in TMS. In exceptional circumstances, the player, the former association or the new association may request FIFA’s intervention. FIFA may exceptionally allow a registration with the new club within one working day of receipt of the ITC request, if required to prevent irreparable harm to the player. Issuance of an ITC is without prejudice to any contractual dispute between the player, their former club and/or the new club of the player.

7. The new association shall only confirm the ITC receipt (cf. par. 5 above) or confirm registration in TMS (cf. par. 6 above) if the player is to be registered with the new club.

8. A player is not eligible to play for his new club until the new association has either:

a) confirmed receipt of the ITC, entered the player registration information in TMS and registered the player in its electronic registration system; or

b) registered the player in its electronic registration system and entered the player registration information in TMS in the absence of a response to the ITC request within five calendar days or when FIFA has exceptionally allowed a registration with the new club within one working day of receipt of the ITC request.

9. All registrations described in paragraph 8 above have the same effect and are equally valid.

Article 12 – Payments

1. Clubs shall declare all club-to-club payments made in the context of an international transfer (cf. art. 11 par. 4 of the FIFA Clearing House Regulations), including any amendments to the payment terms, which shall also be declared as soon as the amended terms have been agreed upon. When declaring the execution of a payment, the new club shall upload the relevant proof of payment in TMS within 30 days of each payment.

2. Where a club-to-club payment is no longer due, clubs shall request the forced closure of the transfer without delay.

3. Clubs shall declare any payments made in relation to any representation agreement entered into with a football agent. When declaring the execution of a payment, the relevant club shall upload the relevant proof of payment in TMS within 14 days of each payment.

4. Clubs shall declare any payments made in relation to any agreement entered into with a football agent other than a representation agreement. When declaring the execution of a payment, the relevant club shall upload the relevant proof of payment in TMS within 14 days of each payment.

TITLE V. SPECIAL PROCEDURES

Article 13 – Player confirmation

1. If the player being transferred does not exist in TMS, the club that first enters the transfer instruction in TMS shall create his profile. The same applies to associations entering transfer instructions of amateur players on behalf of their affiliated clubs that do not have access to TMS.

2. The ITC procedure will only be initiated once the newly created player details have been verified, corrected if required and confirmed by the former association. By confirming the player, the former association confirms that the player was last registered with it and that his identity details (name, nationality, date of birth and gender) are correct.

3. The former association shall reject the newly created player if the player is not registered with it at the time of the transfer.

4. The player confirmation procedure shall be carried out without delay.

Article 14 – Validation exceptions

1. A validation exception may be triggered in the following cases:

a) the player is less than 18 years old and the corresponding minor application has not yet been accepted;

b) the new club is serving a ban on registering new players;

c) the new club and/or the former club has exceeded the loan limitations (cf. art. 10 of these regulations); or

d) the date of the ITC request is outside the new association’s registration period, and no exception under art. 6 of these regulations applies.

2. Any requests for intervention in a validation exception shall be submitted via TMS. Upon request from the association concerned, the FIFA general secretariat will assess the request and, if necessary, refer the matter to the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal. Any such request and any supporting documentation shall be provided only in one of the following official languages of FIFA: English, French or Spanish. Each case is assessed individually on its own merits.

Article 15 – Cancellation

1. As a general rule, a transfer instruction containing incorrect information shall be cancelled.

2. The club(s), or the new association acting on behalf of a club in an amateur transfer, may cancel a transfer instruction prior to an ITC request.

3. Once an ITC has been requested, only the relevant association(s) may request the cancellation in TMS, indicate the reason for cancellation and specify the correct information.

4. In such a case, the counter association shall accept or dispute the cancellation request.

a) If it accepts the request, the transfer will be cancelled; or

b) If it disputes the request, the relevant association shall upload a supporting statement in TMS and contact the FIFA general secretariat to resolve the dispute.

TITLE VI. ENFORCEMENT

Article 16 – General

1. Sanctions shall be imposed on clubs and associations that violate the provisions contained in this annexe, including violations committed by their TMS users.

2. The FIFA general secretariat is responsible for investigating any violation of the provisions contained in this annexe.

3. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee is responsible for sanctioning violations of the provisions contained in this annexe in accordance with the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

Article 17 – Administrative sanction procedure

1. Without prejudice to the competence of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, the FIFA general secretariat has the competence to impose sanctions within the administrative sanction procedure (ASP) as set out below.

2. The ASP deals with infringements of this annexe that are of a primarily technical or administrative nature.

3. If such an infringement is detected, the following procedure will take place:

a) The FIFA general secretariat will contact the association or club to identify the infringement, request a statement or any other relevant information within a defined deadline and, if applicable, request that the infringing behaviour be corrected.

b) Upon receipt of the statement or relevant information or upon expiry of the time limit to do so, the FIFA general secretariat may issue an administrative sanction letter containing a sanction, if applicable.

c) The party may accept the sanction or reject it and, in this case, request the opening of disciplinary proceedings before the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. If the party accepts the sanction, the latter will be enforceable from the date of acceptance.

d) If the party accepts the sanction, complies with it (where applicable) and corrects the infringing behaviour within the time limits to do so, the matter will be closed.

e) If the party fails to respond to the administrative sanction letter, responds inconsistently or incompletely and/or does not correct the infringing behaviour and/or does not comply with the sanction, the matter will be referred to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for evaluation and decision.

4. Without prejudice to any further sanction imposed by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, the sanctions that may be imposed through the ASP are:

a) a warning;

b) a reprimand; or

c) a fine of up to CHF 30,000.

Article 18 – Time limits and means of notification

Letters or decisions notified by the FIFA general secretariat to a party through TMS or to the email address provided by a party in TMS are considered a valid means of communication and are sufficient to establish time limits.

ANNEXE 4 – Training compensation

Article 1 – Objective

1. A player’s training and education takes place between the ages of 12 and 23. Training compensation shall be payable, as a general rule, up to the age of 23 for training incurred up to the age of 21, unless it is evident that a player has already terminated his training period before the age of 21. In the latter case, training compensation shall be payable until the end of the calendar year in which the player reaches the age of 23, but the calculation of the amount payable shall be based on the years between the age of 12 and the age when it is established that the player actually completed his training.

2. The obligation to pay training compensation is without prejudice to any obligation to pay compensation for breach of contract.

Article 2 – Payment of training compensation

1. Training compensation is due when:

a) a player is registered for the first time as a professional; or

b) a professional is transferred between clubs of two different associations (whether during or at the end of his contract) before the end of the calendar year of his 23rd birthday.

2. Training compensation is not due if:

a) the former club terminates the player’s contract without just cause (without prejudice to the rights of the previous clubs); or

b) the player is transferred to a category 4 club; or

c) a professional reacquires amateur status on being transferred.

3. For cases governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, payment of training compensation shall be made in accordance with the FIFA Clearing House Regulations.

Article 3 – Responsibility to pay training compensation

1. For cases not governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, on registering as a professional for the first time, the club with which the player is registered is responsible for paying training compensation within 30 days of registration to every club with which the player has previously been registered (in accordance with the players’ career history as provided in the player passport) and that has contributed to his training starting from the calendar year of his 12th birthday. The amount payable is calculated on a pro rata basis according to the period of training that the player spent with each club. In the case of subsequent transfers of the professional, training compensation will only be owed to his former club for the time he was effectively trained by that club.

2. In both of the above cases, for cases not governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, the deadline for payment of training compensation is 30 days following the registration of the professional with the new association.

3. An association is entitled to receive the training compensation which in principle would be due to one of its affiliated clubs, if it can provide evidence that the club in question – with which the professional was registered and trained – has in the meantime ceased to participate in organised football and/or no longer exists due to, in particular, bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or loss of affiliation. This compensation shall be reserved for youth football development programmes in the association(s) in question.

Article 4 – Training costs

1. In order to calculate the compensation due for training and education costs, associations are instructed to divide their clubs into a maximum of four categories in accordance with the clubs’ financial investment in training players. The training costs are set for each category and correspond to the amount needed to train one player for one year multiplied by an average “player factor”, which is the ratio of players who need to be trained to produce one professional player.

2. The training costs, which are established on a confederation basis for each category of club, as well as the categorisation of clubs for each association, are published on the FIFA website (www.FIFA.com). They are updated at the end of every calendar year. Associations are required to keep the data regarding the training category of their clubs inserted in TMS up to date at all times (cf. Annexe 3).

Article 5 – Calculation of training compensation

1. As a general rule, to calculate the training compensation due to a player’s former club(s), it is necessary to take the costs that would have been incurred by the new club if it had trained the player itself.

2. Accordingly, the first time a player registers as a professional, the training compensation payable is calculated by taking the training costs of the new club multiplied by the number of years of training, in principle from the calendar year of the player’s 12th birthday to the calendar year of his 21st birthday. In the case of subsequent transfers, training compensation is calculated based on the training costs of the new club multiplied by the number of years of training with the former club.

3. To ensure that training compensation for very young players is not set at unreasonably high levels, the training costs for players for the calendar years of their 12th to 15th birthdays (i.e. four calendar years) shall be based on the training and education costs of category 4 clubs.

4. The Dispute Resolution Chamber may review disputes concerning the amount of training compensation payable and shall have discretion to adjust this amount if it is clearly disproportionate to the case under review.

Article 6 – Special provisions for the eu/eea

1. For players moving from one association to another inside the territory of the EU/EEA, the amount of training compensation payable shall be established based on the following:

a) If the player moves from a lower to a higher category club, the calculation shall be based on the average training costs of the two clubs.

b) If the player moves from a higher to a lower category, the calculation shall be based on the training costs of the lower-category club.

2. Inside the EU/EEA, the final calendar year of training may occur before the calendar year of the player’s 21st birthday if it is established that the player completed his training before that time.

3. If the former club does not offer the player a contract, no training compensation is payable unless the former club can justify that it is entitled to such compensation. The former club must offer the player a contract in writing via registered post at least 60 days before the expiry of his current contract, subject to the temporary exception below. Such an offer shall furthermore be at least of an equivalent value to the current contract. This provision is without prejudice to the right to training compensation of the player’s previous club(s).

i. The contract offer may be made by electronic mail, provided that the former club obtains confirmation from the player that he has received a copy of said offer and can provide such confirmation in case of any dispute.

Article 7 – Disciplinary measures

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee may impose disciplinary measures on clubs or players that do not observe the obligations set out in this annexe.

ANNEXE 5 – Solidarity mechanism

Article 1 – Solidarity contribution

1. If a professional moves during the course of a contract, 5% of any compensation paid within the scope of this transfer, not including training compensation paid to his former club, shall be deducted from the total amount of this compensation and distributed by the new club as a solidarity contribution to the club(s) involved in his training and education over the years. This solidarity contribution reflects the number of years (calculated pro rata if less than one year) he was registered with the relevant club(s) between the calendar years of his 12th and 23rd birthdays, as follows:

a) Calendar year of 12th birthday: 5% of 5% of any compensation

b) Calendar year of 13th birthday: 5% of 5% of any compensation

c) Calendar year of 14th birthday: 5% of 5% of any compensation

d) Calendar year of 15th birthday: 5% of 5% of any compensation

e) Calendar year of 16th birthday: 10% of 5% of any compensation

f) Calendar year of 17th birthday: 10% of 5% of any compensation

g) Calendar year of 18th birthday: 10% of 5% of any compensation

h) Calendar year of 19th birthday: 10% of 5% of any compensation

i) Calendar year of 20th birthday: 10% of 5% of any compensation

j) Calendar year of 21st birthday: 10% of 5% of any compensation

k) Calendar year of 22nd birthday: 10% of 5% of any compensation

l) Calendar year of 23rd birthday: 10% of 5% of any compensation

2. A training club is entitled to receive (a proportion of) the 5% solidarity contribution in the following cases:

a) a professional player is transferred, either on a definitive or loan basis, between clubs affiliated to different associations;

b) a professional player is transferred, either on a definitive or loan basis, between clubs affiliated to the same association, provided that the training club is affiliated to a different association.

Article 2 – Payment procedure

1. For cases not governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, the new club shall pay the solidarity contribution to the training club(s) pursuant to the above provisions no later than 30 days after the player’s registration or, in case of contingent payments, 30 days after the date of such payments.

2. For cases not governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, it is the responsibility of the new club to calculate the amount of the solidarity contribution and to distribute it in accordance with the player’s career history as provided in the player passport. The player shall, if necessary, assist the new club in discharging this obligation.

3. For cases governed by the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, payment of solidarity contribution shall be made in accordance with the FIFA Clearing House Regulations.

4. An association is entitled to receive the proportion of solidarity contribution which in principle would be due to one of its affiliated clubs, if it can provide evidence that the club in question – which was involved in the professional’s training and education – has in the meantime ceased to participate in organised football and/or no longer exists due to, in particular, bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or loss of affiliation. This solidarity contribution shall be reserved for youth football development programmes in the association(s) in question.

5. The Disciplinary Committee may impose disciplinary measures on clubs that do not observe the obligations set out in this annexe.

ANNEXE 6 – Rules for the Status and Transfer of Futsal Players

Article 1 – Scope

1. The Rules for the Status and Transfer of Futsal Players are an integral part of these regulations.

2. These rules establish global and binding provisions concerning the status of futsal players, their eligibility to participate in organised futsal, and their transfer between clubs belonging to different associations.

3. These rules shall apply equally to men, women, amateurs and professionals unless expressly provided for otherwise in this annexe.

4. The transfer of futsal players between clubs belonging to the same association is governed by specific regulations issued by the association concerned. These regulations shall include:

a) appropriate means to protect contractual stability, paying due respect to mandatory national law and collective bargaining agreements, as well as the principles in article 1 paragraph 3 b) of these regulations; and

b) specific rules for the settlement of disputes between futsal clubs and players.

5. The following provisions in these regulations are binding for futsal at national level and shall be included, without modification, in the association’s regulations: articles 2-8, 10, 11, 12bis, 18, 18 paragraph 7, 18bis, 18ter, 18quater, 18quinquies, 19 and 19bis.

In relation to articles 18 paragraph 7, 18quater and 18quinquies, where a validly negotiated collective bargaining agreement contains provisions related to female professional football, the respective provisions of the collective bargaining agreement shall prevail in their totality, and a clear reference to the collective bargaining agreement shall be included in the association’s regulations. Where no collective bargaining agreement exists, but where more favourable conditions are stipulated pursuant to national law, these more favourable conditions shall be included in the association’s regulations.

Article 2 – Release of futsal players to association teams

1. Article 1ter of Annexe 1 of these regulations is binding.

2. A player may only represent one association in both futsal and eleven-a-side football. Any player who has already participated in a match (either in full or in part) in an official competition of any category or any type of football for one association may not play an international match for a representative team of another association.

This provision is subject to the exception in article 9 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes.

Article 3 – Registration of futsal players

1. A futsal player must be registered at an association to play for a club as either a professional or an amateur in accordance with the provisions of article 2 of these regulations. Only registered players are eligible to participate in organised futsal. By the act of registering, a futsal player agrees to abide by the FIFA Statutes and regulations, as well as the statutes and regulations of the relevant confederation and association.

2. A futsal player may only be registered for one futsal club at a time. A futsal player may, however, also be registered for one eleven-a-side club at the same time. It is not necessary for the futsal and the eleven-a-side club to be affiliated to the same association.

3. A futsal professional player under contract with an eleven-a-side club may sign another professional contract with a different futsal club only if he obtains written approval from the eleven-a-side club employing him, and vice-versa.

4. Futsal players may be registered with a maximum of three futsal clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two futsal clubs. As an exception to this rule, a futsal player moving between two futsal clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. the start of the season is in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third futsal club during the relevant season, provided he has fully complied with his contractual obligations towards his previous futsal clubs. Equally, the provisions relating to the registration periods (article 6 of these regulations) as well as to the minimum length of a contract (article 18 paragraph 2 of these regulations) must be respected.

5. Under all circumstances, due consideration must be given to the sporting integrity of the competition. In particular, a futsal player may not play official matches for more than two clubs competing in the same national championship or cup during the same season, subject to stricter individual competition regulations of member associations.

Article 4 – Respect of contract

1. A contract between a professional futsal player and a futsal club may only be terminated upon expiry of its term or by mutual agreement.

2. The provisions applicable to the maintenance of contractual stability are set out in articles 13-18 of these regulations.

Article 5 – International transfer of futsal players

5.1 Principles

1. A futsal player registered with a futsal club affiliated to an association may only be registered with a futsal club affiliated to a different association after:

a) the International Futsal Transfer Certificate (IFTC) has been requested by the new association;

b) the IFTC has been delivered by the former association;

c) the IFTC has been received by the new association; and

d) the new association has registered the player in their electronic registration system.

2. The above principle applies to all international transfer of professional and amateur futsal players.

3. A futsal player is not eligible to play for his new futsal club until all the conditions in paragraph 1 above are met, where applicable.

4. An IFTC is not required for a futsal player under the age of ten.

5. Clubs and associations shall always:

a) act in good faith;

b) abide by the FIFA Statutes and all FIFA regulations; and

c) ensure that all information provided is true and correct.

5.2 Transfer process: IFTC procedure and futsal player registration

1. The new futsal club shall submit an application to its association to register a futsal player during one of the registration periods established by that association, subject to the exception in article 6 of these regulations.

The relevant application shall be accompanied, if applicable, by:

a) a copy of the employment contract between the new futsal club and the futsal player; and

b) a copy of the transfer agreement (whether permanent or on loan) concluded between the new and the former futsal clubs.

2. Upon receipt of the application, the new association shall immediately request that the former association deliver an IFTC for the futsal player (“IFTC request”). The IFTC request shall be accompanied by the documentation established in paragraph 1 above, if applicable.

3. At the very latest, the IFTC must be requested on the last day of the relevant registration period of the new association for the transfer to occur during that registration period.

4. In the case of an international transfer of a futsal player who had professional status at his former futsal club, upon receipt of the IFTC request, the former association shall immediately request that the former futsal club and the futsal player confirm whether:

a) the employment contract has expired;

b) an early termination was mutually agreed; or

c) there is a contractual dispute.

5. Within seven days of the IFTC request, the former association shall either:

a) deliver the IFTC to the new association; or

b) inform the new association in writing that the IFTC cannot be delivered. This may only be the case where:

i. an employment contract between the former futsal club and the futsal player has not expired; or

ii. there has been no mutual agreement regarding the contract’s early termination.

The provision in paragraph b) above applies only to the international transfer of futsal players who had professional status at their former futsal clubs.

6. When delivering an IFTC to the new association, the former association shall also:

a) attach a copy of the player passport;

b) notify the new association in writing of any pending disciplinary sanctions imposed on the futsal player and, if applicable, their extension to have worldwide effect (cf. article 12 of these regulations); and

c) lodge a copy of the IFTC with FIFA.

7. The IFTC shall be delivered free of charge without any conditions or time limitation. Any provisions to the contrary shall be null and void.

8. Upon delivery of the IFTC, the new association shall register the player in their electronic registration system.

9. If the former association fails to respond to the IFTC request within 30 days, the new association shall immediately register the futsal player for the new futsal club on a provisional basis (“provisional registration”) and enter the relevant player registration information in the national electronic player registration system. A provisional registration shall become permanent one year after the IFTC request.

10. The former association shall not deliver an IFTC for a futsal player if a contractual dispute on grounds of the circumstances stipulated in paragraph 4 above, has arisen between the former futsal club and the futsal player.

In such a case, upon request of the new association, FIFA may take provisional measures in exceptional circumstances. In this respect, it will take into account the arguments presented by the former association to justify the rejection of the IFTC. If the Football Tribunal authorises the provisional registration (cf. article 23), the new association shall proceed to register the player. Furthermore, the professional futsal player, the former and/or the new futsal club are entitled to lodge a claim with FIFA in accordance with article 22. The decision on the provisional registration of the player shall be without prejudice to the merits of such possible contractual dispute.

11. The new association may grant the player temporary eligibility to play until the end of the ongoing competition period on the basis of an IFTC sent by fax or email. If the original IFTC is not received by that time, the player’s eligibility to play shall be considered definitive.

12. The foregoing rules and procedures apply without distinction to professional and amateur futsal players who, upon moving to their new futsal club, acquire a different status.

5.3 Loan of futsal players

1. The rules set out above also apply to the loan of a professional futsal player from a futsal club affiliated to one association to a futsal club affiliated to another association, as well as to his return from loan to his original futsal club, if applicable.

2. A copy of the loan agreement shall accompany the IFTC request (cf. article 5.2 paragraph 2).

3. Upon expiry of the loan period, the association of the futsal club that released the futsal player on loan shall request the IFTC to the association of the futsal club where he is registered on loan. Until the IFTC procedure has not been completed and the association that released the futsal player on loan has re-registered him in their electronic registration system, the futsal player is not eligible to play for his original futsal club.

Article 6 – Enforcement of disciplinary sanctions

1. A suspension imposed in terms of matches on a player for an infringement committed when playing futsal or in relation to a futsal match shall only affect the player’s participation for his futsal club. Similarly, a suspension imposed in terms of matches on a player participating in eleven-a-side football shall only affect the player’s participation for his eleven-a-side club.

2. A suspension imposed in terms of days and months shall affect a player’s participation for both his futsal as well as his eleven-a-side club, regardless of whether the infringement was committed in eleven-a-side football or futsal.

3. The association with which a futsal player is registered shall notify a suspension imposed in terms of days and months to the second association with which the player may be registered, if the player is registered, at the same time, for a futsal and an eleven-a-side club belonging to two different associations.

4. When delivering an IFTC, the former association shall notify the new association in writing of any pending disciplinary sanctions imposed on a player and, if applicable, their extension to have worldwide effect (cf. article 12 of these regulations).

Article 7 – Protection of minors

International transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18. The exceptions to this rule are outlined in article 19 of these regulations.

Article 8 – Training compensation

The provisions on training compensation as provided for in article 20 and Annexe 4 of the regulations shall not apply to the transfer of players from futsal clubs.

Article 9 – Solidarity mechanism

The provisions on solidarity mechanism as provided for in article 21 and Annexe 5 of these regulations shall not apply to the transfer of players to and from futsal clubs.

Article 10 – Competence of FIFA

1. Sanctions shall be imposed on clubs and associations which violate the provisions contained in this annexe.

2. The FIFA general secretariat is responsible for investigating any violation of this annexe.

3. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee is responsible for sanctioning any violation of this annexe, in line with the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

4. Without prejudice to the right of any futsal player, coach, association or club to seek redress before a civil court for employment-related disputes, FIFA is competent to hear disputes as stipulated in article 22 of these regulations.

5. The Football Tribunal shall adjudicate on all disputes as stipulated in article 23 of these regulations.

ANNEXE 7 – Temporary rules addressing the exceptional situation deriving from the war in Ukraine

Article 1 – Scope of application

1. Without prejudice to paragraph 2 below, this annexe applies to employment contracts of an international dimension concluded between players or coaches and clubs affiliated to the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) or the Football Union of Russia (FUR).

2. This annexe does not apply to:

a) employment contracts of an international dimension of players who, on 21 May 2023 and thereafter, were registered with a club affiliated to the UAF or FUR;

b) employment contracts of an international dimension of coaches who, on 21 May 2023 and thereafter, rendered their services to a club affiliated to the UAF or FUR;

c) employment contracts of an international dimension of players or coaches that have been concluded or extended after 7 March 2022.

Article 2 – Employment contracts of an international dimension with clubs affiliated to the UAF or FUR

1. Notwithstanding the provisions of these regulations and unless otherwise agreed between the parties, a contract of an international dimension between a player or a coach and a club affiliated to the UAF or FUR can be unilaterally suspended until 30 June 2027 by the player or the coach.

2. In order to validly suspend the contract, the player or coach shall inform the club of the unilateral suspension in writing by 1 August 2026 at the latest.

3. The minimum length of a contract established under article 18 paragraph 2 of these regulations does not apply to any new contract concluded by the professional whose contract has been suspended in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 above.

Article 3 – Consequences of the suspension

A player or coach whose contract has been suspended as per article 2 paragraphs 1 and 2 above does not commit a breach of contract by signing and registering with a new club. Article 18 paragraph 5 of these regulations does not apply to a professional whose contract has been suspended as per article 2 paragraphs 1 and 2 above.

Article 4 – Registration

Notwithstanding the provisions of article 5 paragraph 4 of these regulations, a player whose previous registration was in the UAF or FUR, may be registered with a maximum of four clubs during one season and is eligible to play official matches for three different clubs.

Article 5 – Protection of minors

Notwithstanding the provisions of article 19 of these regulations, any minors residing in the territory of Ukraine who wish to be registered with a new club shall be deemed to fulfil the requirements of the exception provided in article 19 paragraph 2 a) or d) of these regulations.

Article 6 – Training compensation

1. As from the time this annexe enters into force, training compensation in accordance with the provisions of article 20 and annexe 4 is payable by the new club for any player whose previous registration was in the UAF or FUR if:

a) without prejudice to paragraph 3 below, the player is registered for the first time as a professional before the end of the calendar year of his 23rd birthday; or

b) the player had validly suspended their contract with a club affiliated to the UAF or FUR in accordance with the provisions of this annexe (under any of its different editions) and is now transferred between clubs of two different associations (whether during or at the end of his contract) before the end of the calendar year of their 23rd birthday.

c) However, in such case per literal b), training compensation will be owed by the new club only to the club(s) affiliated to the UAF or FUR with which the player had been registered before the player’s contract was suspended, for the time the player was effectively trained by the respective club(s).

2. No entitlement to training compensation will arise for any club not affiliated to the UAF or FUR who has registered a player following the suspension of the player’s contract in accordance with this annexe.

3. No training compensation is payable by the new club for a player being registered for the first time as a professional if:

a) the player is registered with a club not affiliated to the UAF or FUR after having left the territory of Ukraine or Russia subsequently to 7 March 2022 and was allowed to be registered with a new club under the exception provided in article 19 paragraph 2 a) or d) of these regulations;

b) the player left the territory of Ukraine or Russia subsequently to 7 March 2022 and now wishes to be registered for the first time as a professional with a club affiliated to the UAF or FUR.

Article 7 – International transfer of players

1. A player whose contract has been suspended on the basis of this annexe may, during the period of suspension, not be subject to a transfer (whether permanent or on loan) against payment.

2. A player who has suspended their contract on the basis of this annexe may not sign a new contract with another club affiliated to the UAF or FUR during the time of the suspension.

TO THE MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS OF FIFA

Circular no. 1970

Zurich, 1 September 2026

Amendments to the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal and the FIFA Governance Regulations

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are pleased to inform you of various amendments to the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal (Procedural Rules) and the FIFA Governance Regulations (FGR), which were approved by the Bureau of the Council (the Bureau).

Background

On 4 October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) rendered its judgment in the case involving the football player Lassana Diarra. In this judgment, the CJEU declared several provisions in FIFA’s regulatory framework to be contrary to European law.

Immediately upon the issuance of this judgment, FIFA initiated a process to revise its regulations.

Considering the need for immediate stability and regulatory clarity, the Bureau approved an interim regulatory framework on 22 December 2024, which made changes on a temporary basis to various provisions, in particular to those of the RSTP and the Procedural Rules. This decision of the Bureau, communicated via circular no. 1917 on 23 December 2024, set out the interim regulatory framework which has been in effect since 1 January 2025.

Since then, the FIFA administration has engaged in extensive consultation and constructive discussions with European Football Clubs (EFC), FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association (WLA), as well as with the confederations on several elements of the transfer system and its regulatory framework. The final and long-term amendments that were approved by the Bureau on 10 June 2026 establish an objective, transparent, non-discriminatory and proportionate regulatory framework, balancing the interests of all involved stakeholders, based on an agreement reached between all involved stakeholders.

The following paragraphs briefly set out these amendments.

FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players

Definitions

Definition number 7 of the RSTP introduces a new mechanism to determine the “protected period”, i.e. the time frame during which a breach of contract is subject to a sporting sanction against a club or player. It also reiterates the established rule that the protected period restarts when a contract is renewed and the duration of the previous contract is thereby extended.

Additionally, a new definition number 44 is included: the concept of the “yearly fixed remuneration” of a player, which is relevant in the context of the new article 21bis (see below for further information).

Article 1 – Scope

The amendments to article 1 paragraph 2 of the RSTP formally recognise and institutionalise the newly created social dialogue process between FIFA and the social partners involved, notably FIFPRO (representing the players as employees) and EFC and WLA (representing employers). Under this new process, any future amendment to the RSTP, with the exception of Annexe 1 (concerning the International Match Calendar and the release of players to national teams), may only be made if a consensus is reached between employees, employers and FIFA.

Article 1 paragraph 3 of the RSTP determines that this new social dialogue process shall take place via a Global Social Dialogue Platform for Professional Football (the Global Social Dialogue Platform), which will be formally created through a separate proposed amendment to the FIFA Governance Regulations (see below for further information).

Article 1 paragraphs 4 and 5 of the RSTP contain technical amendments, also incorporating these new provisions into the existing obligation of Member Associations to adopt the same rules at domestic level.

Article 14 – Terminating a contract with just cause

Article 14 paragraph 3 introduces specific forms of conduct that are expressly prohibited for clubs. This list codifies existing case law of the Football Tribunal.

Article 17 – Consequences of a breach of contract

The amendments to article 17 of the RSTP establish a clear, objective and more predictable framework for determining the consequences of a breach of contract and consist of the following elements:

- Rules concerning liquidated damages clauses (art. 17 par. 1 of the RSTP)

- Rules to calculate the financial compensation in case of a breach of contract, including the joint and several liability of a new club (art. 17 pars 2-9 of the RSTP)

- Rules concerning sporting sanctions, with a specifically revised mechanism for sanctioning clubs (art. 17 par. 10 of the RSTP)

- A specific rule concerning a presumption of inducement (art. 17 par. 11 of the RSTP)

- Rules concerning sporting sanctions against players, with no substantial modifications (art. 17 par. 12 of the RSTP)

Article 18 – Special provisions relating to contracts between professionals and clubs

A new rule has been introduced, according to which clubs may – under clearly defined criteria – enter into contracts of a duration of up to five years with players under the age of eighteen (as opposed to the general limitation of three years). These contracts may be offered only if the player has been registered for a specific period with that club prior to signing the contract and they must meet specific conditions regarding remuneration. A club may only enter into a limited number of such contracts per season.

Article 18quater – Special provisions relating to pregnancy, adoption and family leave

The amendments to article 18quater align this provision with the changes to article 17 of the RSTP and the consequences of breach of contract.

Article 21bis – Player participation in transfer fees

Under the new article 21bis, players may participate in transfer fees paid in respect of them in the context of an international transfer.

As a general principle, clubs and players are free to agree that players may receive a share of the transfer compensation paid in respect of them.

However, players earning yearly fixed remuneration below EUR 150,000 shall, as a mandatory requirement, receive a 5% share of the relevant fixed transfer compensation. The player may partially waive their entitlement to this, but their share may never fall below the higher of: a) the player’s fixed remuneration for the last year of their contract with the releasing club; or b) 2.5% of the total fixed transfer compensation.

For the sake of clarity, no entitlement will arise if prohibited by national law, by applicable national regulations in force at the time when these regulations would be adopted, or where a national law or valid collective bargaining agreement at domestic level establishes a similar concept.

Article 22 – Competence of FIFA

Article 22 paragraph 1 f) has been introduced to clarify that FIFA will have jurisdiction over disputes relating to a player’s participation in a transfer fee under article 21bis provided that the transfer to which the dispute relates involves clubs belonging to different associations.

Article 23 – Football Tribunal

A new paragraph 5 has been introduced to article 23, establishing that, in the absence of an agreement between the contractual parties or any exceptional circumstances deemed by the Football Tribunal to justify a lower rate, standard interest at a rate of 8% per annum for late payments shall be awarded by the Football Tribunal in cases of overdue payables or outstanding remuneration. The relevant interest will still be subject to a valid request from the claimant and will be without prejudice to any contractually agreed interest rate.

Annexe 2 – Rules for the employment of coaches

The amendments to this annexe largely align the compensation mechanisms so that disputes between coaches and clubs/associations are also covered, with the remaining specificities dealing with the particularities of such disputes.

Annexe 3 – International transfer of players and transfer matching system

Amendments to article 11 paragraphs 3, 6 and 8, as well as to article 14, have been made to further streamline the procedure concerning the delivery of International Transfer Certificates (ITCs), ensuring that players can be registered within clear and short timelines, while safeguarding existing contractual rights.

Annexe 7 – Temporary rules addressing the exceptional situation deriving from the war in Ukraine

In view of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the stakeholders have agreed to extend the validity of Annexe 7 for a further year, until 30 June 2027. The amendments only concern this extension in duration, and not the substance of Annexe 7.

FIFA Disciplinary Code

The amendments to article 21 paragraphs 6 and 7 concern the enforcement of decisions issued by a national dispute resolution chamber (NDRC) that has been recognised in accordance with the National Dispute Resolution Chamber Recognition Principles of FIFA.

Under these amendments, if a Member Association fails to enforce such a decision within 60 days, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee will automatically be competent to enforce this decision.

Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal

Article 3 – Applicable rules and regulations

The amendment to the Procedural Rules is intended to expressly state the applicable rules and regulations for procedures before the Football Tribunal. Pursuant to this amendment, the Football Tribunal shall apply FIFA regulations and, subsidiarily, Swiss law.

FIFA Governance Regulations

Article 59bis – Global Social Dialogue Platform for Professional Football

The new article formally establishes the aforementioned and newly created Global Social Dialogue Platform.

The amendments concern the constitution of the Global Social Dialogue Platform between FIFA, FIFPRO, WLA and EFC and the latter’s roles as social partners involved in this platform. They also define FIFA’s role and involvement in the decision-making process.

Under this new process, as a general principle, decisions, recommendations and agreements must be adopted by consensus, understood as the unanimous agreement of the social partners and FIFA. Where such consensus is reached, FIFA shall take the necessary steps to give effect to the agreed outcomes within its regulatory framework. FIFA may only decline to implement an agreed outcome where it can demonstrate that doing so would either be manifestly incompatible with its statutory obligations, would materially breach its mandatory legal obligations, would create unreasonable financial or operational burdens on FIFA, or would, in FIFA’s reasonable assessment, expose FIFA to legal risks. In such cases, FIFA shall provide a duly reasoned justification to the social partners. In the absence of such justification, FIFA shall proceed with the ratification of the agreed outcome(s). In the absence of consensus, the existing regulatory framework shall remain in place.

The new article 59bis also establishes dedicated workstreams for the Social Dialogue Platform, including but not limited to: (a) the transfer system and regulatory matters (RSTP); (b) domestic transfer systems and social dialogue support; and (c) player welfare and occupational health and safety standards. The addition of any new workstream requires the consent of FIFA.

Finally, FIFA and the social partners shall jointly adopt more detailed rules of procedure governing the Global Social Dialogue Platform.

Entry into force

The new versions of the RSTP, the FDC and the Procedural Rules will enter into force on 1 January 2027. The new provisions of the RSTP will apply only to cases where the facts giving rise to the dispute arose after the new version of the regulations enters into force. However, it is also clarified that article 17 paragraph 1 and article 21bis shall only apply to contracts concluded after the new RSTP enter into force.

This timeline allows all stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the new regulatory framework and enables FIFA to educate, support and guide its stakeholders on the content of these new rules.

The new version of the FIFA Governance Regulations entered into force as of 1 July 2026, to ensure that the Global Social Dialogue Platform can start to operate as soon as possible.

The revised editions of the RSTP, the FDC, the Procedural Rules and the FGR are available at legal.fifa.com.

We thank you for taking note of the above and for informing your affiliated clubs accordingly. Please do not hesitate to contact Jan Kleiner, Director of Football Regulatory, at regulatory@fifa.org if you have any questions in this regard.

Yours faithfully,

FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

Mattias Grafström Secretary General

Encl.:

- FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (January 2027 edition)

- FIFA Disciplinary Code (January 2027 edition)

- Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal (January 2027 edition)

- FIFA Governance Regulations (July 2026 edition)

cc:

- FIFA Council

- Confederations

- European Football Clubs

- FIFPRO

- World Leagues Association

- Men’s Football Stakeholders Committee

- Women’s Football Stakeholders Committee

- Legal Committee

Training costs and categorisation of clubs as of 2026

The training costs listed below are established on a confederation basis for each club category, in accordance with article 4 of Annexe 4 to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

Confederation	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
AFC	Category II: USD 40,000	Category III: USD 10,000	Category IV: USD 2,000
CAF	Category II: USD 30,000	Category III: USD 10,000	Category IV: USD 2,000
Concacaf	Category II: USD 40,000	Category III: USD 10,000	Category IV: USD 2,000
CONMEBOL	Category I: USD 50,000	Category II: USD 30,000	Category III: USD 10,000	Category IV: USD 2,000
OFC	Category II: USD 30,000	Category III: USD 10,000	Category IV: USD 2,000
UEFA	Category I: EUR 90,000	Category II: EUR 60,000	Category III: EUR 30,000	Category IV: EUR 10,000

Please find below a table for each confederation, setting out the categories in which each association is asked to classify its clubs.

Table 1 – AFC

Member Association	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Afghanistan	Category IV
Australia	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Bahrain	Category IV
Bangladesh	Category IV
Bhutan	Category IV
Brunei Darussalam	Category IV
Cambodia	Category IV
China PR	Category III	Category IV
Chinese Taipei	Category IV
Guam	Category IV
Hong Kong, China	Category IV
India	Category IV
Indonesia	Category IV
IR Iran	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Iraq	Category III	Category IV
Japan	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Jordan	Category IV
Korea DPR	Category IV
Korea Republic	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Kuwait	Category III	Category IV
Kyrgyz Republic	Category IV
Laos	Category IV
Lebanon	Category III	Category IV
Macau	Category IV
Malaysia	Category III	Category IV
Maldives	Category IV
Mongolia	Category IV
Myanmar	Category IV
Nepal	Category IV
Oman	Category IV
Pakistan	Category IV
Palestine	Category IV
Philippines	Category IV
Qatar	Category III	Category IV
Saudi Arabia	Category III	Category IV
Singapore	Category III	Category IV
Sri Lanka	Category IV
Syria	Category IV
Tajikistan	Category IV
Thailand	Category IV
Timor-Leste	Category IV
Turkmenistan	Category IV
United Arab Emirates	Category III	Category IV
Uzbekistan	Category IV
Vietnam	Category IV
Yemen	Category IV

Table 2 – CAF

Member Association	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Algeria	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Angola	Category IV
Benin	Category IV
Botswana	Category IV
Burkina Faso	Category IV
Burundi	Category III	Category IV
Cabo Verde	Category IV
Cameroon	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Central African Republic	Category IV
Chad	Category IV
Comoros	Category IV
Congo	Category IV
Congo DR	Category IV
Côte d’Ivoire	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Djibouti	Category IV
Egypt	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Equatorial Guinea	Category IV
Eritrea	Category IV
Eswatini	Category IV
Ethiopia	Category IV
Gabon	Category IV
The Gambia	Category III	Category IV
Ghana	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Guinea	Category IV
Guinea-Bissau	Category IV
Kenya	Category IV
Lesotho	Category IV
Liberia	Category IV
Libya	Category III	Category IV
Madagascar	Category IV
Malawi	Category IV
Mali	Category III	Category IV
Mauritania	Category IV
Mauritius	Category IV
Morocco	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Mozambique	Category IV
Namibia	Category IV
Niger	Category IV
Nigeria	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Rwanda	Category III	Category IV
São Tomé and Príncipe	Category IV
Senegal	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Seychelles	Category IV
Sierra Leone	Category IV
Somalia	Category IV
South Africa	Category II	Category III	Category IV
South Sudan	Category IV
Sudan	Category III	Category IV
Tanzania	Category IV
Togo	Category III	Category IV
Tunisia	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Uganda	Category IV
Zambia	Category IV
Zimbabwe	Category IV

Table 3 – Concacaf

Member Association	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Anguilla	Category IV
Antigua and Barbuda	Category IV
Aruba	Category IV
Bahamas	Category IV
Barbados	Category IV
Belize	Category IV
Bermuda	Category IV
British Virgin Islands	Category IV
Canada	Category III	Category IV
Cayman Islands	Category IV
Costa Rica	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Cuba	Category IV
Curaçao	Category IV
Dominica	Category IV
Dominican Republic	Category IV
El Salvador	Category III	Category IV
Grenada	Category IV
Guatemala	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Guyana	Category IV
Haiti	Category IV
Honduras	Category III	Category IV
Jamaica	Category III	Category IV
Mexico	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Montserrat	Category IV
Nicaragua	Category IV
Panama	Category IV
Puerto Rico	Category IV
St Kitts and Nevis	Category IV
St Lucia	Category IV
St Vincent and the Grenadines	Category IV
Suriname	Category IV
Trinidad and Tobago	Category III	Category IV
Turks and Caicos Islands	Category IV
USA	Category II	Category III	Category IV
US Virgin Islands	Category IV

Table 4 – CONMEBOL

Member Association	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Argentina	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Bolivia	Category III	Category IV
Brazil	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Chile	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Colombia	Category III	Category IV
Ecuador	Category III	Category IV
Paraguay	Category III	Category IV
Peru	Category III	Category IV
Uruguay	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Venezuela	Category III	Category IV

Table 5 – OFC

Member Association	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
American Samoa	Category IV
Cook Islands	Category IV
Fiji	Category IV
New Caledonia	Category IV
New Zealand	Category III	Category IV
Papua New Guinea	Category IV
Samoa	Category IV
Solomon Islands	Category IV
Tahiti	Category IV
Tonga	Category IV
Vanuatu	Category IV

Table 6 – UEFA

Member Association	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Albania	Category III	Category IV
Andorra	Category IV
Armenia	Category III	Category IV
Austria	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Azerbaijan	Category III	Category IV
Belarus	Category III	Category IV
Belgium	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Category III	Category IV
Bulgaria	Category III	Category IV
Croatia	Category III	Category IV
Cyprus	Category III	Category IV
Czechia	Category III	Category IV
Denmark	Category II	Category III	Category IV
England	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Estonia	Category III	Category IV
Faroe Islands	Category IV
Finland	Category III	Category IV
France	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Georgia	Category III	Category IV
Germany	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Gibraltar	Category IV
Greece	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Hungary	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Iceland	Category III	Category IV
Republic of Ireland	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Israel	Category III	Category IV
Italy	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Kazakhstan	Category III	Category IV
Kosovo	Category III	Category IV
Latvia	Category III	Category IV
Liechtenstein	Category IV
Lithuania	Category III	Category IV
Luxembourg	Category III	Category IV
Malta	Category III	Category IV
Moldova	Category III	Category IV
Montenegro	Category IV
Netherlands	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
North Macedonia	Category III	Category IV
Northern Ireland	Category III	Category IV
Norway	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Poland	Category III	Category IV
Portugal	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Romania	Category III	Category IV
Russia	Category II	Category III	Category IV
San Marino	Category IV
Scotland	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Serbia	Category III	Category IV
Slovakia	Category III	Category IV
Slovenia	Category III	Category IV
Spain	Category I	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Sweden	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Switzerland	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Türkiye	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Ukraine	Category II	Category III	Category IV
Wales	Category III	Category IV