Published on 10 June 2026 and applicable from 1 January 2027, FIFA's new Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal introduce several important procedural changes for licensed agents, in particular regarding procedural costs, time limits and the management of Electronic Player Passports. The document is not yet integrated into the official study materials for the FIFA agent exam.
Last updated: 24/07/2026
On 10 June 2026, FIFA published a new edition of the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal 2027. For candidates for the FIFA agent exam and licensed agents who handle disputes on a daily basis, this update deserves particular attention, even though it is not yet integrated into the official study materials for the exam.
The Football Tribunal is FIFA's central judicial body. It settles disputes between players, clubs, agents and associations in the context of international transfers, representation contracts and training compensation claims. The Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal, which govern how it operates, are among the subjects on the FIFA agent exam syllabus, and their evolution has direct consequences for the practice of the profession.
No, not yet. FIFA's official study materials are still based on the January 2026 version of the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal as the reference for the official exam. FIFA adopts new texts regularly, but their integration into the exam syllabus follows a separate timetable.
This approach follows the same logic seen with other recent FIFA publications. The 2026 Disciplinary Code and the January 2027 edition of the RSTP were published but not immediately integrated into the syllabus. The version to revise for the official exam is still the one contained in the study materials updated by FIFA.
| Version | Status for the exam |
|---|---|
| January 2026 edition | Reference version in the current study materials, to be revised for the official exam |
| January 2027 edition | Published on 10 June 2026, applicable from 1 January 2027, not yet integrated into the study materials |
Revising the 2027 version as a priority would be an inefficient way to prepare for the exam. But being familiar with it is an advantage for anticipating regulatory changes and practising the profession of sports agent in the best possible conditions from the moment the licence is obtained.
The official document of the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal 2027 is available with each update on the official "FIFA Documents" page. You can also download it directly below:
The update to the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal accompanies the changes to FIFA's regulatory framework since 2023. The entry into force of the FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR) restructured the Agents' Chamber (AC) and its remit, which made a revision of the procedural texts necessary.
In parallel, the FIFA RSTP 2027 introduced new mechanisms that will almost certainly have repercussions on the disputes brought before the Tribunal. The procedural rules must therefore evolve in step with the rights they are responsible for enforcing.
This new edition was adopted by the Bureau of the FIFA Council on 10 June 2026, the same date as the new RSTP. This synchronisation confirms FIFA's intention to consolidate its regulatory framework in a comprehensive way.
The structure of the document remains identical to the previous edition, with six chapters covering the general provisions, the common procedural rules, the rules specific to the three chambers (DRC, PSC, AC), claims for training compensation and the solidarity mechanism, regulatory applications before the Players' Status Chamber (PSC), and the final provisions.
This division into three chambers is not new. The Football Tribunal has operated in this form since 1 October 2021, the date on which FIFA brought together its former decision-making bodies within a single institution. The 2027 Procedural Rules therefore fit within the continuity of this architecture, already tried and tested over several years of practice.
Article 28bis governs cases of legal or factual complexity in the context of Electronic Player Passports (EPP). When the FIFA general secretariat identifies a complexity, it may refer the matter to the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) for a formal decision. The procedure provides in particular that:
For a player's agent, Article 28bis makes it possible to understand that the distribution of training compensation linked to the transfers of their clients may be affected by a DRC decision issued in this context.
Article 11 sets out the rules applicable to time limits. They are suspended from 20 December to 5 January inclusive, a provision that is useful to know for winter transfer window deals. The regulatory time limits set by the Rules themselves cannot be extended, whereas those set by the FIFA general secretariat can be extended upon a reasoned request submitted before the expiry of the time limit in question.
Article 10 requires that all communications pass through the FIFA Legal Portal or the TMS, with an obligation to consult these two channels daily. Any negligence in this monitoring may engage the procedural liability of the party concerned.
This requirement is not specific to the 2027 edition. The FIFA Legal Portal became mandatory for all parties from 1 May 2023, replacing the former system based on the exchange of emails.
Annexe 1 provides the scales applicable to advances of costs and procedural costs. One important point applies: proceedings are free of charge as soon as at least one of the parties is a player, a coach, a football agent or a match agent.
| Amount in dispute (USD) | Advance of costs |
|---|---|
| 0 to 49,999.99 | USD 1,000 |
| 50,000 to 99,999.99 | USD 2,000 |
| 100,000 to 149,999.99 | USD 3,000 |
| 150,000 to 199,999.99 | USD 4,000 |
| 200,000 and above | USD 5,000 |
| Amount in dispute (USD) | Maximum procedural costs |
|---|---|
| 0 to 49,999.99 | USD 5,000 |
| 50,000 to 99,999.99 | USD 10,000 |
| 100,000 to 149,999.99 | USD 15,000 |
| 150,000 to 199,999.99 | USD 20,000 |
| 200,000 and above | USD 25,000 |
These amounts concern agents involved in disputes between clubs, the only cases in which procedural costs may be charged to them.
Article 4 sets out the composition of each chamber. That of the agents (AC), specifically competent for disputes related to the FFAR, is made up of members appointed on the proposal of the member associations, the confederations, the players, the clubs, the leagues and the football agents. The inclusion of agents' representatives in this appointment process is an important element of legitimacy for professionals in the sector.
On independence, Article 5 recalls that the nationality of a member of the Tribunal does not constitute grounds for recusal. A party has five calendar days from the notification of the composition of the chamber to challenge the impartiality of a member.
The vast majority of cases an agent brings before the Tribunal go through the Agents' Chamber (AC). The new Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal 2027 confirm that a single judge issues the decision as a general rule, unless there is proven legal complexity, in which case a panel made up of at least three judges is formed.
For agents whose disputes exceed USD 200,000, the case is systematically handled by this panel, chaired by the chairperson or a deputy chairperson of the chamber.
Article 28bis is particularly relevant for agents who manage long careers or players who have changed clubs across several countries. The distribution of a player's training compensation goes through the EPP, and errors or complexities in this passport can block payments. The procedure put in place provides a clear framework for unblocking these situations.
The reminder of the obligation to consult the TMS and the FIFA Legal Portal daily (Article 10) underlines the importance of these tools in managing proceedings. The Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal 2027 maintain this obligation without relaxing it; procedural rigour remains a skill in its own right in the practice of the profession.
The FIFA Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal 2027 bring concrete procedural clarifications, in particular Article 28bis on Electronic Player Passports, the clarification of time limits during the winter period and the scales of procedural costs.
For candidates for the FIFA agent exam, the priority remains a solid grasp of the version integrated into the official study materials (FIFA Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal 2026). As soon as the January 2027 version officially becomes part of the syllabus, SportsAgent Institute's resources will be updated.
For agents who are already licensed, these provisions should be integrated into their daily practice, in particular regarding the management of EPPs and procedural discipline in monitoring cases.
