Hungary introduces strict foreign player limit: how will it affect Armenian footballers?

Starting from the 2025/26 season, the Hungarian league will enforce a new and very strict rule limiting the use of foreign players. From now on, teams are required to field at least five Hungarian players in every match, with at least one of them under the age of 21.

New rule: at least five Hungarians and one young player

Although violating this rule is formally possible, it will come at a price: clubs that fail to comply will lose government funding and tax benefits. At the same time, the Hungarian Football League will provide 500 million forints (around $1.47 million) per season to clubs that strictly follow the rule.

One of the first clubs to state its position was Puskás Akadémia, where Armenian national team defender Georgi Harutyunyan plays. The club's management expressed full support for the new regulation. In a recent friendly, Puskás fielded ten Hungarian players, with Harutyunyan—who holds Armenian citizenship—as the only foreigner in the starting eleven. Ukrainian Oleksandr Favorov also started but is not considered a foreigner due to his Hungarian passport.

Puskás currently has 12 foreign players, though several of them have already obtained Hungarian citizenship. The club also has enough young Hungarian players to easily comply with the new rule. However, the situation may become more challenging for Harutyunyan, as there are many Hungarian defenders in the squad, which is his usual position. Fortunately, the Armenian international's versatility allows him to play as a defensive midfielder or in any position across the back line. He may spend some matches on the bench, but will likely still get playing time—especially if the club advances far in the UEFA Conference League, where squad rotation is vital.

Edgar Sevikyan, midfielder of the Armenian national team, finds himself in a very different situation at Ferencváros. The reigning Hungarian champions have 26 foreign players, and adjusting to the new rule will be a major challenge. It’s likely the club will choose to forgo government support in order to keep a competitive squad and focus on European competitions, which can also be a strong source of revenue.

Thus, Sevikyan likely has little to worry about regarding his role in the team. The main question is whether new head coach Robbie Keane will include him in the squad for the season. Last season, Sevikyan was on loan at Lokomotiv Moscow.

Interestingly, on July 9, both Armenian players featured in their clubs’ friendly matches. Ferencváros is preparing for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, while Puskás Akadémia is wrapping up preparations for the Conference League.