Only Six Foreigners Allowed In Matchday Line-Up Under New MFL Rule

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Football League (MFL) today announced an amendment to the foreign player ruling for the Malaysia League (M-League) 2025–2026 season, reducing the number of foreign players allowed on the pitch to six, from the previously announced seven.

The decision was made following the 14th MFL Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting for the 2021–2025 term, taking into consideration the impact on the league and the development of local players.

In a statement, MFL said the revised foreign player quota will now be 6+3 (substitutes), with a composition of 4 World + 1 Asia + 1 ASEAN players, compared to the previous 7+2 (substitutes) of 4 World + 1 Asia + 2 ASEAN.

“The decision to reduce one foreign player on the pitch is seen as a step towards balancing local and foreign players in the starting eleven on matchday.

“MFL believes that while foreign players add appeal and competitiveness to the league, developing local talent remains a core agenda to support the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in strengthening the Harimau Malaya squad,” the statement added.

MFL said the decision also followed feedback from clubs, many of whom felt that additional ASEAN players had little impact on team performance.

However, the total number of foreign players a club can register remains at 15.

“Clubs are not obligated to fill the foreign quota, as it depends on their specific needs and financial capacity.

“This is in line with the monitoring of club spending under the Financial Fair Play (FFP) framework, which will enforce a salary cap mechanism limiting player wages to 80 per cent of each club’s budget,” it said.

In another development, MFL announced the M-League 2025–2026 calendar, with the season kicking off on Aug 8 with the Charity Shield match between Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Selangor FC at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium — which also doubles as the Super League’s opening match.

According to MFL, the Super League season is expected to end on May 16, 2026 — a 10-month run compared to the 14-month transitional season previously.

“The FA Cup is scheduled to begin on August 15, 2025, with the final set for December 14, 2025.

“The prestigious Malaysia Cup will kick off on January 17, 2026, with the final slated for May 23, 2026,” it added.

Meanwhile, the MFL Challenge Cup will begin on February 6, 2026, with the two-legged final matches scheduled for April 4 and April 18, 2026.

“This season, MFL has released the full-season calendar at once, unlike last season’s phased announcement. However, adjustments may still be needed due to the AFC’s upcoming draw for the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) and AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) on August 15, involving JDT and Selangor FC.

“In addition, both clubs will also participate in the ASEAN Club Championship, with the complete match schedule only released yesterday by the AFF, which has delayed MFL’s ability to finalise the M-League calendar earlier for clubs and supporters,” it said.

-- BERNAMA