Pathways

The rules nobody explains to you

Every page here cites its sources and shows the date it was last checked, because these rules change several times a year and most of what is written about them is out of date, written for lawyers, or written by someone selling you a service.

FIFA Article 19: when a young player can move abroad

International transfers of under-18s are banned. Six routes around that ban exist, and most explanations of them are wrong. Here is what the regulations actually say.
Playing in England: how the GBE points system actually works

Since 2021 every player without a UK or Irish passport needs a Governing Body Endorsement from the FA to play in England. Here is the 2026/27 system as the FA writes it — points, panels, ESC places, and what does not count.
Work permits in Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium

Four countries, three different systems: a wage floor, a wage wall, or almost nothing at all. What a non-EU player actually needs to play in each — and why EU and EEA players need nothing.
Non-EU quotas in Spain and Italy: how many places there really are

Spain and Italy do not mainly limit foreign players through visas but through quotas written into the football rules. What La Liga and Serie A clubs can actually register in 2026/27, quoted from the RFEF and FIGC texts.
Training compensation and the solidarity mechanism, explained

When a young player signs his first professional contract abroad or is sold before 23, the clubs that trained him from age 12 are owed money. How FIFA's two systems work, what the amounts are, and worked examples for Nordic clubs.

Coming next

Before you sign with an agent
Youth contracts: what you are actually signing
Tax and insurance when you move abroad

FIFA Article 19: when a young player can move abroad

Playing in England: how the GBE points system actually works

Work permits in Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium

Non-EU quotas in Spain and Italy: how many places there really are

Training compensation and the solidarity mechanism, explained

Coming next