SAARC player quota cut to three for BFL

The players' registration window for the Bangladesh Football League (BFL) opens on Friday, with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) reducing the number of SAARC players permitted in each squad from five to three.

The country's football governing body is also set to create an unprecedented situation by keeping the registration window open even after the start of the 2026-27 season.

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The registration window will remain open for more than nine weeks, until September 3. The season will begin with the one-off Challenge Cup on August 21, before the Federation Cup and Bangladesh Football League kick off on August 25 and August 28 respectively.

"For the sake of the preparation of the national football team for the FIFA window in September, players registered from July 10 to August 13 will be eligible to take part in the Challenge Cup and matchdays one and two of the Federation Cup and Bangladesh Football League," the BFF said in a press release on Thursday.

It also stated that players registered by clubs between August 14 and September 3 will be eligible to play for the remainder of the season after the completion of matchdays one and two.

BFF media manager Sadman Sakib said the decision to start the season before the close of the registration window had been taken to provide national team players with competitive domestic matches before the national camp begins in the middle of September. FIFA's September international window runs from September 21 to October 6.

Last season, clubs were allowed to register five SAARC players, who were treated as local players for domestic competitions. While SAARC players will continue to enjoy local player status, the quota has been reduced to three for the upcoming season following demands from local players to create more opportunities for homegrown footballers.

The foreign player quota remains unchanged, with clubs allowed to register four foreign players and field three of them in a match.

The Professional League Management Committee has also made it mandatory for participating clubs to sign at least five youth players aged under 20. Clubs will also be required to release their registered youth players if they are called up by the national youth teams.

Although the registration window opens on Friday, it was originally scheduled to begin on June 1 under the calendar approved by the BFF Executive Committee. However, the federation failed to adhere to that schedule after dropping the Independence Cup and Super Cup from the previous season's calendar.