FIFA has initiated discussions aimed at requiring all professional teams to include at least one homegrown young player during matches.
During a meeting on Tuesday, the FIFA Council decided to pursue the development of a formal plan within the next year after engaging with stakeholders globally.
The goal is to enhance playing opportunities for youth players who are developed by clubs, which often depend on acquiring talent from outside sources.
FIFA has expressed its intention to implement a rule mandating that senior club teams must always have at least one homegrown player from the Under-20 or Under-21 category on the field during matches.
This proposed regulation would be more stringent than current rules in national and international competitions, such as the Champions League, which require a certain number of homegrown and club-trained players on squad lists without enforcing obligations on starting lineups.
For example, Champions League regulations specify that each squad must include a minimum of eight “locally trained players” from a total of 25 players.
A locally trained player, as defined by UEFA (the organizer of the Champions League), is someone who has been developed by the club itself or another club in the same country for at least three full seasons between the ages of 15 and 21.