KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Football League (MFL) is scaling back the number of foreign players allowed on the pitch next season – a move aimed at giving local talent more game time.
Starting from the 2025-2026 Malaysia League (M-League) season, clubs will only be allowed to field six foreign players per match, down from the previously announced seven. The new ruling was approved during the 14th MFL Board of Directors meeting for the 2021-2025 term.
In a statement, MFL said the updated quota is now 6+3 (substitutes), with the composition set at four “World” players, one from Asia and one from Asean. Previously, the quota was 7+2, allowing two Asean players on the pitch.
“The decision to reduce one foreign player on the pitch is seen as a step towards balancing local and foreign players in the starting eleven on matchday.
“MFL believes that while foreign players add appeal and competitiveness to the league, developing local talent remains a core agenda to support the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in strengthening the Harimau Malaya squad,” the statement added.
MFL said the decision was also based on feedback from clubs, many of which felt the additional Asean players had little impact on performance.
Despite the change, teams are still allowed to register up to 15 foreign players throughout the season. However, filling the full quota is not mandatory and depends on each club’s strategy and financial ability.
“Clubs are not obligated to fill the foreign quota, as it depends on their specific needs and financial capacity.
“This is in line with the monitoring of club spending under the Financial Fair Play (FFP) framework, which will enforce a salary cap mechanism limiting player wages to 80 per cent of each club’s budget,” it said.
Separately, MFL also released the full calendar for the 2025-2026 season – a shift from last season’s phased announcements.
The new season will kick off on August 8 with the Charity Shield match between Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Selangor FC at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium. The match will also serve as the Super League’s opener.
The Super League season is set to run for 10 months, ending on May 16, 2026 – a shorter campaign compared to the 14-month transitional season before. The FA Cup will begin on August 15, with the final scheduled for December 14, 2025. Meanwhile, the Malaysia Cup is set to start on January 17, 2026, with the final on May 23, 2026.
The MFL Challenge Cup will kick off on February 6, 2026, with the two-legged final scheduled for April 4 and April 18, 2026.
MFL noted that the calendar may still see changes due to external fixtures, particularly the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) and AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) draws on August 15, which involve JDT and Selangor FC.
“In addition, both clubs will also participate in the Asean Club Championship, with the complete match schedule only released yesterday by the AFF, which has delayed MFL’s ability to finalise the M-League calendar earlier for clubs and supporters,” it said. – July 20, 2025
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