The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has introduced a temporary foreign-player exemption for the 2026-27 Ziraat Turkish Cup, giving clubs more room to use players left outside their league rosters while keeping the Süper Lig’s controversial 10+4 system unchanged.
The decision, announced Wednesday, is aimed at easing squad-planning problems that have emerged after clubs were forced to leave some foreign players outside their 14-man A-team foreign-player limit.
It also seeks to prevent clubs from losing contracted players through justified contract terminations, which can leave teams without compensation and potentially wipe out the value of their transfer assets.
The TFF has retained the 10+4 foreign-player rule for the 2026-27 Süper Lig season.
Under the system, clubs can register up to 14 foreign players on their A-team list. Ten can be of any age, while at least four of the 14 must have been born on or after Jan. 1, 2003.
The rule has created a problem for clubs that entered the season with more foreign players under contract than they are allowed to register. Players left off the A-team list face the prospect of spending much of the season without competitive football.
That situation can have consequences beyond playing time. Under professional football regulations, a player who is effectively excluded from a club's sporting plans may have grounds to seek a justified termination of his contract. If that happens, the club can lose both the player and any potential transfer fee without receiving compensation.
With the summer transfer window nearing its conclusion, clubs sought a solution that would address the problem without forcing the TFF to abandon its foreign-player policy.
The Clubs Association formally asked the TFF to introduce a limited exemption for the Turkish Cup rather than changing the Süper Lig regulations.
The proposal would allow players who could not be included on their club's A-team roster to feature in domestic cup matches. The measure would cover both foreign players and players eligible to represent the Turkish national team.
A majority of clubs reportedly backed the proposal, with one vote showing about 15 of 18 clubs in favor. Some clubs, including Galatasaray, Trabzonspor and Çaykur Rizespor, were reported to have opposed broader changes.
TFF officials subsequently prepared a temporary regulation in consultation with the relevant sporting and legal departments.
TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu also gave his support to the proposal before it was circulated to clubs and the federation's relevant boards.
The key condition was that the measure would remain strictly limited to the Turkish Cup. It would not change the rules governing the Süper Lig.
In its Aug. 26 announcement, the TFF said Süper Lig and 1. Lig clubs can use players who are eligible for the Turkish national team but could not be registered on their A-team list, as well as foreign players, in Turkish Cup matches.
For Süper Lig clubs, the temporary regulation allows a maximum of 14 foreign players on the match roster.
For 1. Lig clubs, a maximum of eight foreign players can be included on the match roster, with no more than six allowed on the field at the same time.
The exemption applies only to players who were already members of a Süper Lig or 1. Lig club as of Aug. 26 and whose contracts remain active.
There is no age restriction for foreign players covered by the temporary provision.
However, the rule does not provide clubs with an opportunity to sign additional foreign players specifically to take advantage of the exemption. Players who join a club after the announcement are not eligible.
The most important point for clubs is that the temporary measure does not alter the foreign-player regulations for league competition.
The Süper Lig's 10+4 system remains in place, meaning clubs cannot use the Turkish Cup exemption to bypass their A-team registration limits in league matches.
The 1. Lig's existing restrictions also remain unchanged for league competition.
The TFF has effectively created a second competitive outlet for players who otherwise could be left without meaningful first-team football.
The move is designed to protect clubs as much as it is to provide playing opportunities for surplus players.
Keeping those players involved in Turkish Cup matches could reduce the likelihood of contract disputes and justified terminations. It also gives clubs additional time to manage their squads, potentially find transfers or loan deals, and preserve the value of players who remain under contract.
For clubs that have invested heavily in foreign players, the distinction is significant. Losing an unwanted player through a justified termination can mean losing a potentially valuable asset without receiving a transfer fee.
The Turkish Cup exemption therefore offers clubs a limited way to keep those players active without weakening the federation's broader foreign-player policy.
The TFF's decision represents a compromise between two competing priorities.
The federation has kept its foreign-player restrictions intact, maintaining the squad structure it wants to promote while preserving its emphasis on younger players. At the same time, it has acknowledged the practical problems clubs face after building squads under a different set of expectations.
Rather than reopening the Süper Lig regulations, the TFF has opted for a narrow, season-specific solution.
The temporary clause applies only to the 2026-27 Turkish Cup, giving clubs an additional avenue for players who fall outside their league registration limits while leaving the Süper Lig framework untouched.
