FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP)

For the purposes of the study materials for the FIFA Football Agent exam (January 2026 edition), the applicable version is the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (July 2025 edition).

What are the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players?

The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, also known as RSTP,  outline general rules on the status of players and their eligibility to participate in organised football, as well as for their transfer between clubs affiliated with different associations.

Organised football: Football organised under the auspices of FIFA, confederations, and associations, or authorised by them. - FIFA

It is worth noting that the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players are part of the regulations that have an impact on daily football activities worldwide. Indeed, FIFA, as the governing body of world football, also acts as the global rule-making authority in all current football activities.

What are the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players composed of?

As seen above, the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) establish general and binding rules regarding the status of players, their eligibility, or even their transfer. The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players is a document with several chapters with different sections:

• Preliminary provisions
• Player's status
• Player registration
• Contractual stability between professional players and clubs
• Influence of third parties and ownership of players' economic rights by third parties
• Special provisions for female players
• International transfers of minor players
• Training compensation and solidarity mechanism
• Jurisdiction
• Final provisions
• We conclude the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players with a final part that gathers all the annexes.

Annexes :

• Availability of players for association representative teams
• Rules concerning the employment of coaches
• International transfers of players and transfer regulation system
• Training compensation
• Solidarity mechanism
• Rules on the status and transfer of futsal players
• Temporary rules in response to the exceptional situation related to the war in Ukraine

What you need to know before reading the FIFA RSTP

Before delving into the details of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, it is essential to understand certain key definitions and terms used within this document, as previously seen for "organised football":

• Season: A period of 12 consecutive months set by an association during which its official competitions, such as its national championships and national cups, are held.
• Training compensation: Payments made for the training of young players, in accordance with Annex 4.
• Academy: An independent organisational or legal structure whose primary purpose is, in the long term, to provide players with long-term training by providing them with training facilities and necessary infrastructure. This mainly includes training centers, football camps, football schools, etc.
• Transfer Regulation System (TMS): An online information system aimed primarily at simplifying international player transfer procedures and improving the transparency and circulation of information.

The main definitions of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players include other terms (electronic player registration systems, FIFA Connect ID Service, etc.) that are necessary to know for an optimal reading of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. You can find all key terms and definitions in the “Definitions” section of the RSTP.

Evolution of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players

Annex 7: Temporary rules in response to the exceptional situation related to the war in Ukraine

To illustrate these developments, the RSTP includes an Annex 7 entitled “Temporary rules in response to the exceptional situation related to the war in Ukraine”.

This annex provides a temporary mechanism allowing certain foreign players and coaches to unilaterally suspend their employment contracts with clubs affiliated with the Ukrainian or Russian associations, until 30 June 2025, subject to specific conditions.

It is important to note that Annex 7 is an exceptional mechanism adopted in a specific context and its implementation is regulated. In practice, unilateral suspension should not be understood as an automatic or unconditional right, as FIFA has expressly highlighted the aim of preventing abuse in the application of these measures.

Other recent amendments via FIFA Circulars

Beyond Annex 7, the RSTP may also be amended over time through FIFA Circulars, which form part of the official study materials.

Such amendments may notably reinforce protections for women players and women coaches, by updating or clarifying definitions and safeguards related to maternity leave, adoption leave and family leave, as well as certain medical situations that may affect professional activity and contractual matters.

Certain amendments may also be adopted in connection with major international competitions such as the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, potentially leading to adjustments regarding player registration rules, registration periods, and the release of players for national representative teams.

For further context on how the RSTP is interpreted and applied in practice, FIFA has also published an official Commentary on the Regulations;

The first two editions of the Commentary on the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players were released in 2007 and 2021. - FIFA

FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players: Preparation for the players' agent exam

Now that you know the complete composition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, it is important to know that these FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players must be learned in part if you want to prepare for the FIFA players' agent exam in the best possible way.

During the agent exam, you may have questions about certain FIFA circulars, FIFA statutes, the FIFA disciplinary code, for example, as well as questions concerning the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

It is worth noting that all the course content available at SportsAgent Institute is built through the regulation of the FIFA agent exam.

You will therefore find questions concerning the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players on our platform!

Discover right now typical questions extracted from our SportsAgent Institute platform, related to the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which you will be able to find in the players' agent exam.

Questions on the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players

To help you practise, here is a set of three questions drawn from the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, similar to those you will encounter in the official exam.

Q1. Which chamber of the Football Tribunal adjudicates disputes between clubs and coaches?

1. Ethics Committee
2. Procedural Rules Chamber
3. Financial Chamber
4. Dispute Resolution Chamber

Explanation: 4) According to the text, the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the Football Tribunal adjudicates disputes between clubs and coaches.

Q2. What are the requirements of a club that wishes to collaborate with a private academy ?

1. Report the collaboration to the association
2. Ensure proper measures to protect and safeguard minors
3. Report any wrongdoing to the relevant authorities
4. All of the above

Explanation: 4) Before entering into a contract with a private academy, a club should report the collaboration to the association, ensure that the private academy takes proper measures to protect and safeguard minors, and report any wrongdoing to the relevant authorities (article 19bis).

Q3. Fill in the Blank: If at least one of the two matches is a friendly between two representative teams, they can be played in two different confederations only if the distance between the venues.

1. does not exceed a total of five flight hours and two time zones.
2. does not exceed a total of fifteen flight hours and five time zones.
3. does exceed a total of five flight hours and two time zones.
4. does not exceed a total of twenty flight hours and zero time zones.

Explanation: 1) If at least one of the two matches is a friendly, they can be played in two different confederations only if the distance between the venues does not exceed a total of five flight hours and two time zones (Article 1 Annexe 1)

Looking for more questions? You can find more questions on this topic on this page.

Additional resources to the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players

To prepare for the agent exam, the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players is not enough. By completing mock exams, you can test your knowledge and identify the areas that need improvement before the official test. You should also explore other key resources and official documents that will help you feel fully prepared on exam day.

Download the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players PDF

Thorough preparation for the FIFA exam requires a thorough understanding of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, as seen previously.

To download the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) PDF: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players PDF

Study materials for the exam

The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players is an essential document, but it must be accompanied by all the other articles, circulars, present in the study material for the FIFA exam.