<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; Article 17 (consequences of terminating a contract without just cause) has been rewritten in its entirety.</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>29 articles</b> + 7 annexes</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>Forthcoming edition — in force from the start of 2027; until then, the July 2025 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

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<h2>What are the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players?</h2>
<p>The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) lay down the global, binding framework for the registration of players, their amateur or professional status, transfers between clubs affiliated to different associations, contractual stability, the protection of minors, and the training compensation and solidarity mechanisms. A number of the articles of these regulations must be incorporated without amendment into the internal regulations of every national association.</p>
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<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from July 2025</span></h2>
<p>This edition was approved by the Bureau of the FIFA Council on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and enters into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>. It is the most significant rewriting of Article 17 in the history of these regulations; the previous mechanism for calculating compensation ('mitigated compensation' and 'additional compensation' equal to three months' salary) has been removed from the text entirely and replaced with a new system.</p>
<h3>Key changes from the previous edition</h3>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Replacement of 'positive interest' with 'full compensation'</b>It is now provided that, in the absence of agreed compensation, the party injured by the breach of contract is entitled to <strong>full compensation for the damage caused by the breach</strong>, with compensation calculated in light of the damage suffered and the circumstances of each case, on the basis of the prescribed criteria. For the player, it is specified that the damage includes, in particular, <strong>the residual value of the breached contract</strong> and other items.</li>
<li><b class="t">A guaranteed minimum in termination agreements</b>It is now provided that any agreement on the financial compensation payable to the player must be <strong>at least equivalent to the residual value of the breached contract</strong>, unless exceptional circumstances justify a lower amount.</li>
<li><b class="t">A presumption of inducement within 45 days</b>For the first time, it is provided that if a player signs a new contract <strong>within 45 days</strong> of the breach of contract, <strong>the new club is presumed to have induced the player to commit the breach</strong>. The presumption is rebuttable, provided that the new club proves the contrary <strong>'to the comfortable satisfaction of the Football Tribunal'</strong>.</li>
<li><b class="t">A defined standard of proof for joint and several liability</b>The joint and several liability of the new club is now conditional on inducement being established <strong>on the 'balance of probabilities'</strong> — a standard that was not expressly stated in the text of previous editions.</li>
<li><b class="t">Graduated sporting sanctions with a two-year recidivism period</b>In place of the previous single sanction, a graduated system has been introduced: a first breach within the <strong>two-year recidivism period</strong> → a warning and a fine; a second breach → a restriction to registering no more than five new players in one registration period, together with a fine; a third breach → <strong>a complete ban on registering any new player for one entire period</strong>.</li>
<li><b class="t">A defined period of ineligibility for the player in breach</b>It is now provided that a player who commits a breach of contract during the protected period is banned from playing in official matches for <strong>four months</strong>, and that where aggravating circumstances exist this period increases to <strong>six months</strong>; the ban applies immediately upon notification of the decision.</li>
<li><b class="t">Extension of the Ukraine contract-suspension deadline to 30 June 2027</b>The deadline laid down in the annexe governing the war in Ukraine has been extended by a further year.</li>
</ol>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Note:</strong> A comparison of Articles 13 to 18 of this edition with the July 2025 edition shows that the rewriting of Article 17 was accompanied by a rearrangement of the internal headings (joint and several liability, the presumption of inducement, sporting sanctions against clubs and against players). The remaining articles retain their previous structure.</div>
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<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>For clubs engaged in international transfers, players and coaches under contract with a club abroad, and agents and sports lawyers, this document is the principal basis for the legal assessment of a case. In any dispute, the edition of the regulations that applies is the one in force at the time the event occurred; for that reason, access to the text of earlier editions is of practical importance for past cases.</p>
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Notes related to the tag RSTP

Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players_January 2027