South Korea lifts 26-year ban on foreign goalkeepers in the K League
The ban was initially brought in in 1999 when the country’s top domestic competition only had 10 teams, but it has expanded to 26 since
A 26-year ban on foreign goalkeepers in South Korea’s top football league has been lifted for the start of the 2026 season.
Only Korean goalkeepers have been allowed to play in the K League, the oldest professional domestic league in Asia, since 1999. The rule was introduced in a bid to protect homegrown talent when there were only 10 professional clubs.
The K League announced after a board meeting in Seoul this week that because there were now 26 professional clubs in the top two tiers of competition, there was enough room for international goalkeepers.
“The increase in the number of clubs means that there are enough opportunities for domestic goalkeepers to play even if foreign goalkeepers are allowed,” the board said in a statement.
“We considered the fact that with foreign player registrations restricted, the salary increase rate of domestic goalkeepers has increased disproportionately to outfield players.”
There were reportedly concerns, because of the increased size of modern rosters which contain three or four goalkeepers, that there was a shortage of quality keepers in the country.