FIFA clubs may be forced to give young players a chance on the field

FIFA clubs may be forced to give academy players under the age of 21 playing time in first-team matches.

İdman.Biz reports that the proposal will be submitted to the FIFA Council for discussion next year. According to the project, clubs will have to keep at least one of their academy players aged 20 or 21 on the field during the match. At the FIFA Council meeting in Vancouver, the launch of the consultation process on this issue was unanimously supported.

The main goal of the organization is to encourage clubs to invest more in young talents and give academy players real game practice. Because many teams prefer to transfer ready-made players, which makes it difficult for young people to get into the main team.

Current rules include quotas for local or academy players in clubs' squads, but these players are not required to appear on the field. If FIFA's new plan is adopted, it will be a stricter mechanism than the previous rules.

According to reports, this requirement will not affect all clubs equally. In the 2025/2026 season, one of the clubs that gives the most chances to academy players among the big clubs is "Barcelona". The representatives of the Catalan team spent 6039 minutes on the field in La Liga. The situation is weaker in "Liverpool" and "Tottenham", while in "Napoli" no local players under the age of 21 appeared on the field.