Brazil Will Reduce the Quota of Foreign Footballers to Make Room for Young Brazilians

Changes in the Brazilian Championship

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) approved on Monday a gradual reduction in the number of foreign players that clubs can include in matches of the Brazilian Championship, both in the first and second divisions.

The measure aims to expand the space for young footballers trained in Brazil and partially reverse the increase of recent years, according to the entity's statement.

The limit, which was three foreigners per match in 2013, increased to five in 2014 and remained until 2022. Since then, it increased to seven in 2023 and rose to nine in 2024, a figure that remains current.

The new regulation establishes that the maximum number of foreigners for 2027 will be eight, seven in 2028, six in 2029, and five in 2030, thus returning to the 2022 level.

Likewise, starting in 2027, Brazilian clubs will have to reserve a portion of their 50 registration spots for under-23 players.

Currently, they can distribute those spots freely, but the new rule will set a minimum of under-23 players: 20 in 2027, 21 in 2028, 23 in 2029, and 25 in 2030.

The change comes at a time of strong growth in the presence of foreign footballers in the Brazilian first division, which went from 95 playing matches in 2022 to 162 in 2025, according to a study released by the CBF.

This year, 146 footballers from other countries have already stepped onto the field, and another 13 are registered and available to debut.

"The measure we are proposing now maintains a significant number of foreigners," assured the executive director of the CBF, Helder Melillo.

According to the executive, both with the reduction of the foreign player limit and the changes in the athlete registration model in the competition, the aim is to give more space to players under 23 years old and improve the technical quality of Brazilian teams in the medium and long term.

The proposal originated from a manifesto by the Movement of Training Clubs during the meetings of the Brazilian Base Working Group and was approved by the 40 clubs and Brazilian federations, with only two votes against.

One of the data that supports the debate is the age of the footballers. According to the study presented by the CBF, the average age of players registered in the Brazilian Championship is 28.5 years, higher than in the main European leagues: 27 years in Spain, 26.4 in England, 26.3 in Germany, 26.1 in Italy, and 26 in France.

The economic dimension also weighed heavily for Brazilian football. Between 2016 and 2025, players up to 20 years old accounted for 50.1% of the income Brazil earned from transferring footballers abroad, a proportion higher than that recorded by European countries in the same age group.

The reduction of opportunities for young people can thus affect the ability of Brazilian clubs to train, develop, and subsequently negotiate new talents.

The current average in the first division is 5.4 foreigners included in the match report per game, according to the analysis conducted on 219 matches, below the current maximum of nine allowed. EFE

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