Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu gave the good news of a revolutionary change in the Super League. Hacıosmanoğlu, in a statement he made in a television program he attended recently, said, “The foreign limit will be removed next season, but it will be regulated with criteria.” he said. TFF officials started to shape the details of the new foreign player regulation.
In the 2025-26 season, Super League clubs will be able to add any number of foreign football players to their squads, provided that they comply with certain criteria. However, restrictions such as age and national team performance will apply to foreign transfers. Thus, it is aimed to bring young and qualified foreigners to the league.
AGE LIMIT AND NATIONAL TEAM REQUIREMENT
According to the news of Özgür Sancar from Ajansspor; According to the new regulation, the age limit for foreign players will be 24. Clubs will be able to transfer a maximum of three foreign players over the age of 24. However, these players will need to have played in at least 75 percent of their national team’s matches in a full season before being transferred. In this way, it is aimed to prevent the league from being filled with unqualified foreign football players.
FOREIGNERS ARE BANNED IN THE 1ST LEAGUE
Another radical change concerns the TFF 1st League. As of the new season, TFF 1st League teams will not be able to transfer foreign players. Only foreigners with ongoing contracts will be able to continue playing in the league. This decision is expected to transform the 1st League into a competition platform consisting entirely of local football players. In addition, it is aimed to create more opportunities for young talents of Turkish football by increasing infrastructure funds.
GOODBYE TO BLUE CARD APPLICATION
Regulations regarding the ‘Blue Card’ status in the Super League were also brought to the agenda. Within the scope of the new regulation, football players coming from Turkish states or playing in the national teams of different countries will now be considered as foreigners in Turkey. However, football players with existing contracts, such as Kerem Demirbay and Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov, will continue to benefit from the Blue Card application until their contracts expire.
