Homegrown players: UEFA quotas validated by Brussels court in Royal Antwerp - Refaelov case

The Brussels Court of First Instance has rejected, on 22 October 2026, the arguments put forward by Royal Antwerp (Jupiler Pro League) and Israeli player Lior Refaelov against the Royal Belgian Football Association’s (RBFA) rules on the minimum number of locally trained players required for clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, in line with UEFA regulations.

Since 2008, the European governing body has required clubs in these two competitions to include at least eight homegrown players among the 25 in their squad, including at least four trained at the club. Homegrown players are those who spent at least three years at a club or clubs in the same country between the ages of 15 and 21.

Lior Refaelov first brought the case before the Belgian Court of Arbitration…