The foreigners are not returning and the fear is hovering: The Iranian league is paralyzed
The 2026/27 season is supposed to start in three weeks, but can anyone commit to that? In the meantime, the foreign player quota has been cut and the crisis is worsening.
In less than three weeks, the Iranian league is supposed to get underway. According to the official schedule, the draw for the matches will be held on July 28, and the first round will open on August 14. Will local football meet the schedule it set for itself? At the moment, it is hard to believe.
In any case, the Iranian media is almost not dealing with professional questions, but mainly with the future of foreign players, the rehabilitation of squads, and the direct consequences of the war on local football.
The background is obviously unusual. The previous season did not reach its conclusion at all after it was stopped following the war. The league was abandoned without a champion being crowned and without relegated teams being determined, and Iranian football was forced to freeze its activity for long weeks. Now, at least officially, every effort is being made to open a new season on time, and in the meantime, a large part of the headlines in the media are dealing with another question: which foreigners will even agree to play in Iran.
One of the most significant decisions made ahead of the new season concerns the recruitment policy. The Iranian federation decided to dramatically reduce the quota of foreign players, from eight to only four. According to reports in Iran, the move stems from the economic situation in which the clubs found themselves following the war and the difficulty in meeting the costs of foreign players. The meaning is that teams that already hold a large number of foreigners will not be able to continue to add or extend contracts as easily as they did in the past, and will be forced to make adjustments to their squads.
On the "Asr Iran" website, it was even emphasized that the big clubs are the ones that will be hit the hardest. Tractor used its full quota of eight foreigners last season, Persepolis held six, while Sepahan and Gol Gohar also relied on a high number of players from abroad. Now they will all have to adapt themselves to the new reality.
Also from a legal perspective, they are trying in Iran to prepare for the possibility of further escalation. International sports lawyer Arash Shokriz explained in an interview that if the fighting is renewed and continues, foreign players may rely on a "force majeure" clause to be released from their contracts.
"If the war continues, the foreigners will be able to rely on force majeure, cancel their contract with the club, and leave during the transfer window. If the war stops and it is possible to hold the matches, they will not have the right to cancel the contract. We are stuck in a situation of no war, no peace, and no agreement, and this is a difficult situation," said Shokriz.
At the same time, Shokriz explained that as long as the league has not yet started, the very outbreak of the war does not automatically allow for the cancellation of contracts. "When the war ends, the foreign players and coaches must arrive in Iran and return to work, because the starting point is that the contract remains in force."
This reality is reflected almost daily in the headlines of sports websites in Iran. On the "Varzesh 3" website, Uzbek defender Rustam Ashurmatov received praise under the headline "A Lesson in Loyalty" after he showed up for the Esteghlal training camp despite the security situation. In the same article, his situation was compared to that of Jasir Asani and Munir El Haddadi, whose names continue to be at the center of reports regarding their return to Iran.
At Tractor, the last Iranian champion, they have been dealing in recent days mainly with the club's Croatians. On the "Footballi" website, it was reported that midfielder Igor Postonjski is still recovering from his injury in Croatia and therefore will not be fit for the start of the season. At the same time, Tractor announced the end of the road for Croatian striker Domagoj Drožđek, who was one of the key players in winning the championship.
At Persepolis, on the other hand, they continue to prepare for the season through a training camp in Turkey, while other teams are completing preparations for the opening of the league.
On paper, as mentioned, everything is proceeding according to plan: the draw is in a few days and the season is supposed to open on August 14. However, in the Iranian media, it is hard to find discussions in recent days about formations, candidates for the championship, or new signings. Everyone understands that after the previous season was stopped in the middle, the 2026/27 season might not start at all.
