A 26-year ban on overseas goalkeepers in South Korea’s prime flight has been lifted for the beginning of the 2026 season.
Solely Korean goalkeepers have been allowed to play within the Okay League — the oldest skilled home league in Asia — since 1999. The rule was launched in a bid to guard homegrown expertise when there have been solely 10 skilled golf equipment.
The Okay League introduced after a board assembly in Seoul this week that as a result of there’s now 26 skilled golf equipment within the prime two tiers of competitors, there’s sufficient room for worldwide goalkeepers.
“The rise within the variety of golf equipment signifies that there are sufficient alternatives for home goalkeepers to play even when overseas goalkeepers are allowed,” the board mentioned in a press release.
“We thought of the truth that with overseas participant registrations restricted, the wage enhance charge of home goalkeepers has elevated disproportionately to outfield gamers.”
There have been reportedly issues, as a result of elevated dimension of contemporary rosters which comprise three or 4 goalkeepers, that there is a scarcity of high quality keepers within the nation.
The transfer will put the Okay League according to different main Asian leagues in Japan, Saudi Arabia and China.