<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the Procedural Rules Governing the FIFA Football Tribunal, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; in Article 3 it provides that the Tribunal is to apply the FIFA regulations primarily and Swiss law additionally.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approved</td><td><b>10 June 2026</b> — Bureau of the FIFA Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>1 January 2027</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>35 articles</b> + one annexe, in four parts</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>In force from the start of 2027; until then the January 2026 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What are the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal?</h2>
<p>The Football Tribunal is FIFA's quasi-judicial body, composed of three chambers: the <strong>Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC)</strong> for contractual disputes and training compensation cases, the <strong>Players' Status Chamber (PSC)</strong> for regulatory cases such as the international transfer of players under 18 and changes of association, and the <strong>Agents Chamber (AC)</strong> for disputes concerning football agents. The present Procedural Rules determine the rules of procedure before all three chambers: from how a claim is lodged and the applicable time limits to evidence, the language of proceedings and the notification of decisions.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from January 2026</span></h2>
<p>This document is the <strong>seventh edition</strong> of the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal since the Tribunal was established (previous editions: October 2021, June 2022, October 2022, March 2023, January 2025 and January 2026).</p>
<p>The present edition was approved by the <strong>Bureau of the FIFA Council</strong> on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and, pursuant to its Article 35, comes into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>, replacing the January 2026 edition (approved by the FIFA Council on 17 December 2025). The overall structure of the document — 35 articles and one annexe — has been retained.</p>
<p><strong>Transitional rule:</strong> contrary to the common assumption that new procedural rules govern only new claims, Article 32(1) of this edition specifies that proceedings initiated <strong>before</strong> its entry into force are also subject to these Rules, and decisions on the details of their application to pending cases rest with the FIFA general secretariat (Article 32(2)).</p>
<h3>The most significant substantive change from the January 2026 edition — Article 3</h3>
<p>The title of this article has changed from "Applicable law" to "Applicable rules and regulations" and its text has been rewritten in full:</p>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">2026 text</b>The chambers of the Tribunal apply the FIFA Statutes and regulations "whilst taking into account all relevant arrangements, laws and/or collective bargaining agreements that exist at national level".</li>
<li><b class="t">2027 text</b>"The Football Tribunal will primarily apply the FIFA regulations and, additionally, Swiss law."</li>
</ol>
<p>The express reference to national laws and collective bargaining agreements has thus been removed from Article 3 and replaced by Swiss law as the subsidiary law — a point of direct significance, when drafting submissions, for parties who build their case on domestic rules (including national association regulations or contracts governed by national law).</p>
<p>Among the formal changes: the title of Article 35 has changed from "Entry into force" to "Adoption and entry into force", and the transitional paragraph on the entry into force of the Agents Chamber provisions as of 1 October 2023 — which had become obsolete — has been deleted.</p>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Operative status:</strong> until 31 December 2026, the January 2026 edition continues to govern proceedings before the Football Tribunal.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Structure of the document</h2>
<p>The document comprises 35 articles and one annexe, arranged in four parts: <strong>general provisions</strong> (scope, jurisdiction, composition of the chambers, independence and conflicts of interest, confidentiality); <strong>general procedural rules</strong> (parties, notifications, time limits, submissions and evidence, language of proceedings and publication of decisions); <strong>specific proceedings</strong>, covering claims before each of the three chambers, including claims for training compensation (Article 28), the international transfer or first registration of a minor player (Article 30) and petitions for a change of association (Article 31); and <strong>final provisions</strong>, including transitional rules, matters not provided for and force majeure.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Players and coaches in a contractual dispute with a foreign club, clubs involved in international transfer cases or claims for training compensation and the solidarity mechanism, FIFA-licensed agents, and sports lawyers must comply with the formal rules of this document before bringing any claim before the Football Tribunal; failure to observe its time limits and formalities can lead to a claim being dismissed on formal grounds.</p>
<p>The full English text of this edition is available via the download button on this page, and the other editions can be viewed in the "Editions of these regulations" box.</p>
</div>

Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal - January 2027 edition

<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; a sanction for failure to enforce decisions of national dispute resolution chambers (NDRCs) within 60 days has been added to the regulations.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approved</td><td><b>10 June 2026</b> — Bureau of the FIFA Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>1 January 2027</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>76 articles</b> + Annexe 1</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>Forthcoming edition — in force from the start of 2027; until then the May 2026 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What is the FIFA Disciplinary Code?</h2>
<p>The FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) defines disciplinary offences in football, determines the corresponding sanctions, and regulates the organisation and jurisdiction of FIFA's judicial bodies and the procedure before them. Its scope covers FIFA matches and competitions, as well as offences that do not fall within the jurisdiction of the confederations or the member associations; member associations are also required to bring their own disciplinary regulations into line with the principles of this document.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from May 2026</span></h2>
<p>Under Article 76, this document was approved by the <strong>Bureau of the FIFA Council</strong> on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and enters into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>. The change in this edition compared with the May 2026 edition is focused and confined to a single subject.</p>
<h3>Key changes from the previous edition</h3>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Sanction for failure to enforce decisions of national dispute resolution chambers</b>For the first time, it is provided that where a decision has been issued by a <strong>national dispute resolution chamber (NDRC) recognised in accordance with the FIFA regulations</strong> and the association concerned fails to enforce it <strong>within 60 days</strong>, the disciplinary consequences set out in this article may be applied. This provision did not exist in the May 2026 edition or in earlier editions.</li>
</ol>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Scope of the change:</strong> Apart from the addition of the provision on national dispute resolution chambers and the updating of the adoption article, this edition contains no other substantive difference from the May 2026 edition.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Clubs and federations involved in international disciplinary proceedings, players and coaches subject to suspensions, and sports lawyers appearing before the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and the FIFA Appeal Committee rely on the text of these regulations. In any given case, the governing edition is the one in force at the time the offence was committed — unless later regulations provide for a more lenient sanction; for that reason, access to the text of earlier editions is of practical importance.</p>
</div>

FIFA Disciplinary Code - January 2027 edition

<p class="reg-lead">Resolutions of the Board of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran on pre-season transfers for the 2026–27 Persian Gulf Pro League season, notified to the clubs.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Notified</td><td><b>28 June 2026</b> — Public Relations Office of the Iran Football League Organisation</td></tr>
<tr><td>Subject matter</td><td>Settling the unfinished 2025–26 season and setting the transfer conditions for the new season</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>In force</strong> — full text below on this page</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Why these resolutions matter</h2>
<p>With these resolutions the Federation's Board has taken two major decisions: <strong>the 2025–26 Pro League season remains unfinished</strong> and the table is frozen as it stands; and the twenty-sixth season will begin with 18 teams. Alongside these, two significant contractual rules have been laid down: where a player has received more than <strong>75% of the value of their 2025–26 contract</strong>, a unilateral termination by that player counts as <strong>termination without just cause</strong> and its consequences fall on the player; and the ceiling on foreign players at each Pro League club has been reduced from 8 to <strong>4</strong>.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec"><h2>Full text of the resolutions</h2><p>By resolution of the Board of the Football Federation, the twenty-fifth season of the Persian Gulf Pro League (the 2025–26 season) remains unfinished owing to the enemy's savage attack on our country, and the league table is frozen as it currently stands. The twenty-sixth season of the Pro League (the 2026–27 season) will begin with 18 teams on Friday 7 August 2026. Further, under the resolution of the Board of the Football Federation, at the end of next season's Pro League competition the bottom 4 teams in the table will be relegated to the Azadegan League. On transfers, the following resolutions were notified to the clubs: 1. Relying on article 14bis paragraph 3 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, and on article 14bis paragraph 3 of the Transfer Regulations approved by the Football Federation in May–June 2025, and having regard to the country's wartime and force-majeure conditions and the unfinished Pro League competition, it was resolved, in order to preserve the integrity of the competition and to assist the position of Pro League players and clubs, that a temporary amendment be applied solely for the 2025–26 season.</p>
<p>On this basis, Pro League clubs will be permitted to pay players, by way of their contractual obligations, up to a ceiling of seventy-five per cent (75%) of the value of the 2025–26 contract. Where a player has received less than seventy-five per cent (75%) of the value of their 2025–26 contract, the right to terminate the contract with just cause remains reserved to them, provided that, following notification of this resolution, they give written notice to the debtor club and grant the club a period of forty-five (45) days to perform its financial obligations up to that ceiling. Naturally, where a player has received more than seventy-five per cent (75%) of the value of their 2025–26 contract, a unilateral termination of the contract by that player will be deemed a termination without just cause, and liability for all effects and consequences arising from it will rest with the terminating party. 2.</p>
<p>In view of the economic conditions prevailing at the clubs, it was resolved that the number of foreign players permitted for each Pro League club be reduced from eight (8) to four (4), and that each club may use a maximum of four foreign players.</p></div>

FFIRI Board Resolutions on Transfers — July 2026

<p class="reg-lead">The "Financial Discipline, Transparency and Stability" Directive — the new framework for financial oversight of Iranian football clubs.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approval by the Board of Directors</td><td>September 2025</td></tr>
<tr><td>Approval by the General Assembly</td><td><b>December 2025</b> — by 70 votes</td></tr>
<tr><td>Notification to clubs</td><td><b>19 July 2026</b> — Premier League clubs</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>In force from the 2026-27 season</strong> — the full text has not yet been published publicly</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What does this directive change?</h2>
<p>The most significant regulatory development in Iranian football in recent years: with the implementation of this directive, the <strong>budget cap rule</strong>, which for two seasons formed the basis of clubs' transfer activity, is removed from the operational process and replaced by a supervisory system based on financial discipline — the same logic known in world football as financial fair play. In the federation's official terms, the central issue is not "cost control"; it is establishing a <strong>balance between revenue, expenditure and financial transparency</strong>.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Principal requirements announced<span class="reg-tag">Based on the federation's official announcement</span></h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Audited financial statements</b>Clubs are required to submit audited annual and interim financial statements to the federation on a regular basis.</li>
<li><b class="t">Public disclosure</b>The same reports must be <strong>published on the club's official website</strong> so as to ensure transparency towards supporters and the public — a requirement without precedent in Iranian football.</li>
<li><b class="t">Five-year horizon</b>The stated objective is for clubs to reach, by <strong>2030</strong>, a satisfactory position in respect of initial capital, ownership rights, financial transparency, accumulated losses, and cost and revenue management.</li>
<li><b class="t">Non-discriminatory enforcement</b>The federation has stated that the success of this course depends on precise implementation, continuous supervision and non-discriminatory treatment of all clubs.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Where is the full text?</h2>
<p>The directive was notified to Premier League clubs on 19 July 2026, but its full text has not yet been published publicly. What appears on this page is based on the General Assembly's resolution and the official reports of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran; as soon as the full text is published, this page will be updated.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this directive matters to</h2>
<p>For club managers, the obligation to prepare and publish audited financial statements begins with this season, and it is enforced through the federation's supervision. For players and clubs' creditors, mandatory financial transparency is also a new instrument for assessing the financial capacity of the contracting counterparty. Alongside this directive, the Board of Directors' resolutions on transfers — including the reduction of the limit on foreign players to 4 — are available on this site.</p>
</div>

FFIRI Financial Discipline, Transparency and Stability Directive

<p class="reg-lead">Iran Youth Football Programme and Regulations, adopted 1403 — the comprehensive youth football instrument.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Adoption</td><td><b>1403</b> — Executive Board of the Football Federation</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>60 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>Governing edition</strong></td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What these regulations govern</h2>
<p>The complete framework for youth football in Iran, from definitions to the implementation programme: age categories, festivals for ages 6 to 12, grassroots football (non-professional football open to all regardless of ability level and without discrimination), coaching education, and <strong>child safeguarding</strong> against threats and abuse.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Key points</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Child safeguarding</b>The document expressly defines "child safeguarding" and incorporates it into the programme — the first time this has appeared in a regulatory instrument on youth football in Iran, in line with FIFA and AFC requirements.</li>
<li><b class="t">Link to international bodies</b>The document's definitions are framed on the basis of FIFA and AFC instruments and extend even to minifootball and its international federation.</li>
<li><b class="t">Replaces the season-specific instrument</b>Youth age categories were previously governed by the regulations for the 1394-95 season, which are available in this section; the 1403 document puts a comprehensive, multi-year framework in their place.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Football schools, clubs operating youth teams and provincial associations. The child safeguarding requirements are a direct legal obligation for every body working with players under 18.</p>
</div>

Iran Youth Football Programme and Regulations 1403

<p class="reg-lead">Directive on the Recruitment of Foreign Players and Coaches — Iran Football League Organisation.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Authority</td><td>Iran Football League Organisation</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>5 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>Governing version</strong> — no date of adoption is printed on this document</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What this directive determines</h2>
<p>The conditions each Premier League club must satisfy before concluding a contract with a foreign player or coach in order for the contract to be registered and the card to be issued.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Key points</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Settlement of FIFA and CAS awards is the first condition</b>A club is permitted to conclude a contract with a foreign player or coach only where it has paid, or reached agreement with the opposing party on, <strong>all overdue payables and debts that have given rise to a final decision before FIFA or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)</strong>. Confirmation of the absence of debt rests with the Federation's International Relations Department and Players' Status Committee, and the club must obtain the confirmation before registration.</li>
<li><b class="t">Minimum sporting record for an Asian player</b>A player from the first-tier countries of Asia and Oceania (including Japan, South Korea, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Saudi Arabia) must, in the two years preceding the contract, have a specified record with the under-23 or senior national team of their country; for other Asian countries, at least 4 senior international matches in the past two years are required.</li>
<li><b class="t">The club route in place of the national-team route</b>A player without a national-team record is admitted through the club route: at least 8 matches in the past two seasons in the top division or the cup competition of specified countries, provided that the former club stood among the first six places in that country's final league table.</li>
<li><b class="t">Practical effect</b>In practice these conditions are the gateway through which any foreign national enters the Iranian league; breaching them means a contract that is not registered and a card that is not issued.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Premier League clubs and the intermediaries who present foreign players. Under the June–July 2026 resolution of the Board of Directors, the ceiling on foreign players per club has been reduced to <strong>4</strong> — a resolution whose full text is available on this site.</p>
</div>

Iran League Directive on Foreign Players and Coaches

Iran Contract Registration Directive 1402-03 Season

<p class="reg-lead">Regulations for the staging of the national clubs' Hazfi Cup (commemorating the liberation of Khorramshahr) — 1402 edition.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>1402</b> — Iran Football League Organisation</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>9 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td><strong>Governing edition</strong> — replaces the regulations adopted in 1398</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What these regulations govern</h2>
<p>The staging of the national clubs' Hazfi Cup, the competition named in commemoration of the liberation of Khorramshahr: the conditions of entry for teams from the various tiers, the draw and the designation of the host, the sequence of rounds through to the final, and the obligations of clubs at each round.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Key points</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">A route to the final from every tier</b>The Hazfi Cup is the only competition that places teams from the lower and provincial leagues in a single bracket with Persian Gulf Pro League teams; these regulations determine the route of entry for each tier.</li>
<li><b class="t">Asian qualification</b>The winner of the Hazfi Cup obtains a place in the Asian club competitions — a point that gives disputes in this competition legal weight.</li>
<li><b class="t">Relationship to the 1398 edition</b>This edition replaces the regulations adopted in 1398, whose full text remains available within this same family; the earlier edition governs the competitions of the seasons preceding 1402.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Clubs at every tier that enter the knockout bracket, and the provincial organisers of the early rounds. Objections concerning hosting, the draw and the conditions of entry are assessed against this text.</p>
</div>

Notes related to the tag فوتبال

Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal

FIFA Disciplinary Code

FFIRI Board Resolutions on Transfers

FFIRI Financial Discipline, Transparency and Stability Directive

Iran Youth Football Programme and Regulations 1403

Iran League Directive on Foreign Players and Coaches

Iran Contract Registration Directive 1402-03 Season

Iran Hazfi Cup Regulations 1402

FIFA Code of Ethics 2023