The International Football Federation (FIFA) in its latest update has classified the clubs of the Sultanate of Oman and several other countries including Bahrain, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen in the fourth category. This decision was made to fulfill financial obligations for the education of young players.
Details of FIFA's New Regulations
According to Article 4 of Annex 4 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, clubs around the world are required to fulfill financial obligations to clubs that operate in youth age groups and the development of young players (under 23 years). These regulations apply especially when a young player signs their first professional contract or is transferred internationally.
FIFA's goal with this update, designed for 2026, is to create a decisive legal reference for resolving international disputes. This automatically resolves financial disputes between clubs and helps the flow of financial obligations from wealthy clubs to academies and local clubs that are nurturing and developing young talents.
Investment Gap Between Continents
FIFA has also approved financial updates for 2026, which clearly indicate the investment and marketing gap between continents. The organization has set the financial ceiling for top-tier European clubs at 90,000 euros per year. While federations in Asia, Africa, and Oceania are limited to only the third and fourth categories, this situation reflects the absence of the first category in these continents.
Only in South America, the two major countries Brazil and Argentina have been able to benefit from this category, with their financial ceiling limited to 50,000 dollars per year. These conditions have created a significant financial gap between large and small clubs globally.
At the Asian and CONCACAF levels, the financial ceiling for second-tier clubs is set at 40,000 dollars, while the African and Oceania federations are aligned with a financial ceiling of 30,000 dollars for second-tier clubs. Overall, financial obligations for small clubs worldwide (fourth category) are set at 2,000 dollars per year, which, compared to Europe where the minimum is set at 10,000 euros per year, indicates significant differences.
