<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>
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<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>
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<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>
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<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>
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Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal - January 2027 edition

<p class="reg-lead">Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players' Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber, January 2021 edition — the instrument that determines how a claim is filed, heard and brought to a decision.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>January 2021</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Bodies concerned</td><td>Players' Status Committee and Dispute Resolution Chamber</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>84 pages</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What these regulations determine</h2>
<p>Whereas the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players state <em>what</em> the right is, this instrument states <em>how</em> that right is claimed. Its subject matter is procedure: the jurisdiction of each body, the formal requirements for filing a claim, time limits, notification, evidence and the burden of proof, costs, the manner in which a decision is issued and notified, and the route of appeal.</p>
<p>The division of jurisdiction between the two bodies is the first matter to be settled in any case: employment-related disputes with an international dimension between a club and a player fall within the jurisdiction of the Dispute Resolution Chamber, while another category of disputes — including those between clubs and matters relating to a player's status — falls within the jurisdiction of the Players' Status Committee.</p>
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<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Why form is decisive before these bodies</h2>
<p>In the practice of these bodies, formal objections halt a great many cases before they reach the merits. Three points above all: the <strong>time limit for filing a claim</strong>, the expiry of which renders the claim inadmissible; the <strong>establishment of jurisdiction</strong>, which, where a qualifying national body exists, may take the case out of FIFA's hands; and the <strong>formal requirements as to the claim and the evidence</strong>, defects in which lead to rejection on formal grounds.</p>
<p>One further point matters to a party before these bodies: cases are decided on the written record and an oral hearing is the exception; accordingly, whatever is not submitted at the first opportunity will ordinarily have no further occasion to be raised.</p>
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<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Any club, player or coach with a case before FIFA, or against whom a case has been brought. For the sports lawyer, this instrument, alongside the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, is the essential companion to any case before FIFA's judicial bodies.</p>
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Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber2021

<p class="reg-lead">FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations, 2021 edition — the implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code in football, in 152 pages.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2021</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Governing instrument</td><td>World Anti-Doping Code (WADA) — 2021 edition</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>Articles and annexes, in 152 pages</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What these regulations determine</h2>
<p>This document determines FIFA's anti-doping rules within the framework of the World Anti-Doping Code: the definition of doping, the list of violations, the burden of proof, reference to the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods, sample collection and investigations, analysis of samples, results management, the hearing, sanctions, and appeals.</p>
<p>What distinguishes football in the application of these regulations is its multi-layered structure: sample collection may be carried out by FIFA, a confederation, a national federation or a national anti-doping organisation, and that determines which body is responsible for results management.</p>
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<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Why the 2021 edition is a turning point</h2>
<p>The 2021 edition of the World Anti-Doping Code introduced significant structural changes that are reflected in this text. These include the introduction of a category of violations designated <strong>"minor violations"</strong> with a lighter sanctioning regime, greater detail in the definition of "substances of abuse" and their different treatment, and strengthened protection for whistleblowers and witnesses.</p>
<p>For the player, the most important practical consequence is that the route to a defence is no longer uniform: the type of substance, the circumstances of ingestion and cooperation with the proceedings can appreciably alter the sanction — and all of these must be raised within the prescribed time limits.</p>
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<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Players, team physicians and clubs participating in competitions under FIFA's jurisdiction, and the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the implementation of its own anti-doping programme. For the sports lawyer, this text is the basis of the defence in football doping cases from 2021 onwards and must be read together with the Prohibited List for the corresponding year.</p>
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FIFA anti-doping regulations2021

<p class="reg-lead">The AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code, 2019 Edition — the instrument governing offences and sanctions in Asian football.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2019</b> — current version</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>92 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Previous edition on this site</td><td>2018 Edition</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Status of the document</h2>
<p>The Disciplinary and Ethics Code determines what conduct constitutes an offence, what sanction attaches to it, which body has jurisdiction, and what the procedure at first instance and on appeal is. The decisions of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee, which are published on an ongoing basis, all cite the articles of this document.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Related documents</h2>
<p>Alongside this Code, the <strong>2020 Code of Conduct</strong>, which sets the standard of behaviour, and the <strong>Integrity Action Plan</strong>, which is the AFC's strategy against match manipulation, should be read. Both are in this collection.</p>
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AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code (2019 Edition)

<p class="reg-lead">Manual on Third-Party Influence and Third-Party Ownership in football agreements, 2021 edition — FIFA's 198-page document on third-party influence over clubs and third-party ownership of players' economic rights.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2021</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>TPI</td><td>Third-Party Influence</td></tr>
<tr><td>TPO</td><td>Third-Party Ownership of players' economic rights</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>198 pages</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What are TPI and TPO?</h2>
<p>These are two separate prohibitions under the FIFA regulations that are frequently confused with one another. <strong>TPI</strong> means a third party being able to influence a club's independence, its policies or the performance of its teams. <strong>TPO</strong> means a third party holding a share in the economic rights arising from a player's future transfer — a mechanism FIFA has prohibited since 2015.</p>
<p>The manual sets out these concepts in detail, drawing on the jurisprudence of the FIFA judicial bodies and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and shows which arrangements fall within the prohibitions and which do not.</p>
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<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Why this distinction is critical in practice</h2>
<p>Many agreements common in the transfer market — from investor financing of a club to an agreement on a share of a player's next transfer — sit on the boundary between these two prohibitions. Determining whether a financial arrangement is a legitimate investment or prohibited third-party ownership is the line this manual draws.</p>
<p>The consequences of getting it wrong are severe: agreements caught by the prohibitions may be held invalid, and the club and the persons involved may face disciplinary sanctions. For clubs entering into agreements with foreign investors or intermediaries, examining this boundary before signing, not afterwards, is the only safe course.</p>
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<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Clubs, sports investors, agents and lawyers who draft or review football agreements. This manual is read alongside the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and is the practical exposition of those same prohibitions.</p>
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Notes related to the tag football

Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal

Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber2021

FIFA anti-doping regulations2021

AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code (2019 Edition)

Manual on TPI and TPO in football agreements2021