A Discussion on the Reduction of Foreigners in the Brasileirão

The conversation about reducing the number of foreigners in the Brasileirão is nothing new! This idea has been driving heated discussions within the CBF for some time. Alongside that, two other topics are also on the agenda: pitch conditions and the number of relegated teams. These three issues were addressed at the most recent meeting of the technical council for Série A, but the CBF decided it was still too early to vote, promising to conduct more studies and deepen the debate in the future.

What Has Already Been Decided?

Gradual Reduction of Foreign Players

The first part of the conversation on foreigners has already taken a step forward: the decision to reduce the number of non-Brazilian players from nine to five by 2030. Only Flamengo and Bahia disagreed with this change.

Discussion About Pitch Conditions

Regarding pitch conditions, the plan is to define new parameters starting at the October meeting.

Policy and Exchange of Ideas

The atmosphere in CBF meetings has been changing. Clubs have been giving confidence to the proposals, and the discussions have been calmer. In fact, the CBF has been trying to present ideas that improve every aspect of the competition, without rushing to split revenues and other details.

Now, instead of discussing everything at once, there is room to debate specific topics. This makes meetings more productive and less tense.

Flamengo’s Proposal

Recently, Flamengo wanted to discuss a change to the rule that prevents transferring players who have already exceeded 12 matches for a team in Série A. However, the CBF decided that this discussion would be saved for another time, saying more studies are needed.

The Foreigners Will Cause Controversy!

The discussion about the state of the pitch conditions will certainly be more heated. The CBF has already made it clear that it will require improvements, even from the richest clubs. One way to ensure this is through the distribution of Copa do Brasil quotas, which will be fixed and earmarked for debt payments and structural improvements.

And What About Relegation?

For now, there is no forecast to discuss reducing the number of relegated teams, but some clubs are already arguing that it would be good to go from four to three. The idea is to reduce financial unpredictability and avoid a sharp drop in revenue for 20% of Série A.

The Foreigners’ Balance Sheet

After examining the situation, the CBF concluded that reducing the number of foreign players could be a good strategy. They noted that, while the presence of the foreigners increased, Brazilians—sub-23—have been playing less and less. For the CBF, this could compromise the quality of our football in the future.

Important: even with this reduction, the CBF believes it will not negatively affect the presence of Brazilian clubs in the Libertadores. Current dominance began there in 2019, with the limit of five foreign players, and it even brought titles for Flamengo and Palmeiras during that period.

Refining the Choices

Additionally, the CBF showed that, among the _159 foreign players in Série A in 2026 (not counting those with dual nationality), 30% have never played for their national teams! And only 29% have played between one and five matches. This reality calls into question the quality of the players coming to Brazil.

Finally, even if giving more room to young Brazilians is an intelligent strategy, the discussion on these points did not begin with the interests of the new coach of the national team, Carlo Ancelotti. The CBF also argued that the average age of the players has a significant physical impact on the game.

In the end, everyone agreed to the reduction, but the understanding remains that there will be constant monitoring of the effects of this change. Let’s see how this story unfolds!