Football "Emigration": Armenia Among the Outsiders in Terms of Number of Legionnaires

This week, the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) published its 100th, jubilee report dedicated to footballer exports. The ranking includes 100 countries whose youth-developed players have appeared at least once between 2020 and 2025 in clubs from 135 different leagues worldwide. Armenia ranked 98th — third from the bottom — ahead of only Niger and Burundi.

According to CIES data, only 27 unique players developed under the Armenian association played abroad over the last six years. This is one of the lowest figures among all countries on the list.

Negative trend
Since 2020, the number of Armenian players moving abroad has declined nearly every year:

• 2020 — 13

2021 — 13

• 2022 — 12

• 2023 — 9

• 2024 — 10

• 2025 — 8

This is an absolute drop of 5 players compared to 2020 and a relative decline of 38%. While other countries also show such drops, for Armenia, with its modest football market, this is a particularly alarming sign.

Currently, Armenian-developed players playing abroad include: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Inter, Italy), Tigran Barseghyan (Slovan, Slovakia), Edgar Piloyan (Botev, Bulgaria), Narek Grigoryan (Farul, Romania), Vahan Bichakhchyan (Legia, Poland), Artur Serobyan (Sheriff, Moldova), Stepan Mkrtchyan (Osijek, Croatia), and Ugochukwu Iwu (Rubin, Russia).

It's important to note that this research includes only players developed in the country, regardless of citizenship. Thus, naturalized players like Tiknizyan, Spertsyan, and Zelarayan are not counted. This makes the statistics more objective in terms of local talent development.

Why does this matter?
A small number of football expatriates indicates low demand for Armenian players abroad. This can be due to:

• Underdeveloped youth football systems;

• Poor international visibility of Armenian players;

• Lack of effective promotion by agents and clubs.

For comparison
Armenia — 27 expatriates in 5 years (8 in 2025)

• Cyprus — 48 (24 in 2025)

• Georgia — 193 (98)

• Latvia — 59 (27)

• Belarus — 149 (63)

• Albania — 117 (56)

• Moldova — 101 (45)

• Uzbekistan — 77 (34)

• Kosovo — 101 (56)

• Estonia — 55 (25)

• Montenegro — 196 (90)

• Iceland — 126 (71)

Azerbaijan is not in the top 100, but reportedly had 7 expatriates in 2025.

Top exporters: Brazil — 3,020, France — 2,293, Argentina — 2,171.

What can be improved?
To change this trend, Armenia needs a comprehensive strategy to develop and promote players:

• Investment in academies and coaching staff;

• Youth national teams participating in international tournaments;

• Partnerships with foreign clubs and scouts;

• Transparent transfer and agent systems;

• Simplifying military service deferral for players from BKMA to move abroad.

It is also worth noting that the Armenian Premier League is a top destination for foreign players — ranked 6th for Nigeria and 18th for Serbia.

Conclusion
Armenia is among the countries with the fewest exported players. This reflects current issues in the talent development system. However, it's not a death sentence — even small footballing nations like Iceland or North Macedonia have achieved progress through well-thought-out strategies. Armenia has both lessons to learn and room to grow.

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