CBF to introduce Financial Fair Play from January 2026, see the rules | OneFootball

On Tuesday, June 11, the CBF established the plan for Financial Fair Play in Brazilian football, which will come into effect starting January 2026. The project is already implemented in some European countries, such as Spain, France, England, and Italy, and is monitored by UEFA, the governing body of European football.

Initially, Financial Fair Play will be imposed gradually. Teams will be required to limit their spending on player amortization and salaries to a maximum of 70% of their total revenue until 2029. Short-term debt levels cannot exceed 45% of revenue, with ongoing checks on balance sheets and transfer payments, implementing stricter controls starting April next year. This regulation will be fully enforced in 2029.

Clubs that do not comply with the terms of the project will face sanctions. With a system of progressive penalties already defined, the team that violates the rule for the first time must present an action plan and will be under continuous monitoring by the CBF. From the second violation onward, gradual penalties will be imposed on clubs according to the severity of the infraction. These are, in order:

The Financial Fair Play regulations for teams entering into collective agreements with creditors or judicial recovery will differ from April 2026 onward. Clubs in these situations must limit their payroll to the same level as the average of the quarter prior to the start of the process, whether a collective agreement or judicial recovery, maintaining financial balance.

In addition to this rule, teams in this context may only buy new players if they also sell, preventing them from increasing their debts to fill the squad during the recovery process. This system will have transitional phases until 2028, the year in which the regulations will be fully enforced. The regulation follows the UEFA model, adapted to the financial reality of the sport in Brazil. Clubs will have the right to make adjustments until the final presentation at the CBF Summit.

The project also includes other statutes in its planning. By the first month of 2026, teams must settle new debts with relevant creditors. Previous debts can be regularized until November of the same year.

Furthermore, teams will be required to present relevant revenues equal to or greater than relevant costs in order to achieve a non-negative operating result. The transitional stage allows for gradual adaptation to the new requirements and will take place between 2026 and 2027.

Finally, continuous monitoring of payroll and transfer balance sheets will come into effect, with stricter control starting in April 2026.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.