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List of association football clubs playing in the league of another country

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This is a list of association football clubs playing in the league of another country i.e. a country other than the one where they are based. Conditions for competing in a "foreign" league, as well as in a continental/confederational competition, are set case-by-case by FIFA, the international association football federation as well as the respective continental confederations and national football associations involved.

Clubs that are located in defunct nations that merged with others, new nations separated from others, or which stopped competing in a nation's league system because their locale was transferred to another nation, are not included in this article.

Great Britain and Ireland

As a result of the history of football in the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom has four FIFA member countries instead of one. Therefore, clubs that play outside what would be regarded as their 'home country' are included.

England / Scotland

Shielfield Park, home of Berwick Rangers, an English club playing in Scotland's national leagues

England → Scotland : English in Scotland

Scotland → England : Scottish in England

England / Wales

The New Saints of the Welsh Premier League play at Park Hall in the English town of Oswestry

England → Wales : English in Wales

The following England Based clubs play in the Welsh system:

  • The New Saints (Since 1992)playing after 2007 in Oswestry as previously they played in welsh village of Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain and in 2010 were planning on playing in Chester. European Home games have also been played in Shrewsbury
  • Bishop's Castle Town (from 1992 to 2010) and also (since 2016)
  • Newcastle A.F.C. (since 1992)
  • Trefonen F.C. (since 1992)

The following England based clubs have also played in the Welsh system:

The following defunct England based clubs also played in the Welsh system:

Thw FAW ran the Welsh National League (North) from 1921 to 1930, Oswestry town aswell as Shrewsbury Wrexham and Chester reserves all played in it

Tns have played some European home games in Wales

Wales → England : Welsh in England

Cardiff City reached the FA Cup final in 2008, prompting the English FA to change the rules to allow Welsh clubs to represent England in UEFA competitions should they qualify to do so. then Swansea City won the 2012–13 Football League Cup, and are the first Wales-based club to qualify through the English system. Merthyr Town F.C. is under the jurisdiction of the Football Association of Wales for disciplinary and administration purposes. Swansea City, Cardiff City, Newport County and Wrexham previously had the same governance until an arrangement was made with the English FA for the 2011–12 season onwards which sees Welsh clubs playing in the top four divisions of English football under the governance of the English FA.

The following Wales based clubs play in the English system:

(Reserves played in Wales second tier until 1995)

The Welsh leagues formed part of the English system prior to 1992, and therefore the border was ignored, and to play at a higher level before 1992 many Welsh clubs had to play in England. The following Wales based clubs have also played in the English system(some were exiled to England during their stay in its system):

The following defunct Wales based clubs also played in the English system:

Some Welsh clubs play European home games in Oswestry

Northern Ireland / Republic of Ireland

Northern Ireland → Republic of Ireland

Guernsey / England

Guernsey → England : Guernsey in England

The Guernsey Football Association has no international recognition; it has county status within the English Football Association.

Jersey / England

Jersey → England : Jersey in England

The Jersey Football Association has no international recognition; it has county status within the English Football Association.

Isle of Man / England

Isle of Man → England : Isle of Man in England

The Isle of Man Football Association has no international recognition; it has county status within the English Football Association.

Continental Europe

Andorra / Spain

Andorra → Spain : Andorran in Spain

Austria / Germany

Austria → Germany : Austrian in Germany

  • SV Kleinwalsertal played in Germany from the 1960s until 2018, playing in the tier eleven B-Klasse Allgäu 8 in 2017–18.

Bosnia and Herzegovina / Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Bosnia and Herzegovina → Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Bosnian in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

  • FK Borac Banja Luka played in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) football league system after the breakup of Yugoslavia, of which all three republics had been part. Technically, the club stayed Yugoslav and continued to participate in Yugoslav competition until 1995, despite Bosnia and Herzegovina having been recognised as independent in 1992.

Cyprus / Greece

Cyprus → Greece : Cypriot in Greece

From 1967 to 1974, the champion of the Cypriot First Division was promoted to the Greek First Division.

Czechoslovakia / Hungary

Czechoslovakia → Hungary : Czechoslovak in Hungary

Finland / Sweden

Finland → Sweden : Finnish in Sweden

All clubs are based in Åland, an autonomous region of Finland with an indigenous ethnic Swedish population.

Germany / Switzerland

Germany → Switzerland : German in Switzerland

Italy / Switzerland

Italy → Switzerland : Italian in Switzerland

Switzerland → Italy : Swiss in Italy :

  • FC Chiasso played in the Italian league system between 1914 and 1923.

Kosovo / Serbia

Kosovo → Serbia : Kosovar in Serbia
Kosovo is still only a partially recognised state and the government of Serbia still claims the territory as its own. Due to Serbian refusal of Kosovo institutions, Serbs in North Kosovo act independently in sport. For example, the Football First League of North Kosovo was primarily formed of Serbian clubs from four of North Kosovo's municipalities. Both governments agreed upon creating a Community of Serb Municipalities.

In 2016, Kosovo became the 55th member of UEFA, and therefore Football Federation of Kosovo's Football Superleague of Kosovo became a recognised independent league.

From 2010 to 2015, the Football First League of North Kosovo was the top football regional league in North Kosovo, ranked fifth in the Serbian league system. The league was formed primarily of Serbian football clubs that come from four of North Kosovo's municipalities such as Leposavić, Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Northern Kosovska Mitrovica. The league was formed in protest to the establishment of the Kosovo Super League by the Republic of Kosovo; the Serbian clubs from North Kosovo refuse to enter the Republic of Kosovo's institutions as per the Assembly of the Community of Municipalities of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

There are two other clubs from North Kosovo, which compete in different leagues:

Liechtenstein / Switzerland

Rheinpark Stadion, home of FC Vaduz, the only Liechtensteiner team to have ever played top-flight football in Switzerland

Liechtenstein → Switzerland : Liechtensteiner in Switzerland

All clubs in Liechtenstein play in the Swiss Football League system, as Liechtenstein has no properly recognized league of its own. These clubs also compete in the Liechtenstein Football Cup, which is effectively the championship of Liechtenstein, with the winners representing Liechtenstein in the corresponding UEFA club competition (the Cup Winners’ Cup through the 1998–99 season, thereafter the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League through the 2020–21 season, and currently the UEFA Europa Conference League). The cup winners are the only club representing Liechtenstein in Europe, as without a league they do not have a club in the UEFA Champions League. Liechtenstein clubs also do not play in the Swiss Cup, and are not eligible for qualification to European competitions via the Swiss league system.

FC Vaduz has had three stints in the top flight in Switzerland: the first in the 2008–09 season, the second running from 2014 to 2017, and the most recent was in 2020–21. They are the only Liechtenstein club to have ever played in the Swiss Super League. In the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, they qualified for the group stage, becoming the first team from Liechtenstein to play in the group stage of a UEFA club competition.

Monaco / France

Monaco → France : Monegasque in France

San Marino / Italy

San Marino → Italy : Sammarinese in Italy

The home league of San Marino was established only in 1985. Before that year, other Sammarinese teams have competed in the Italian system, though only San Marino Calcio was allowed to take part in the system and also to Coppa Italia exclusively:

Spain / France

Spain → France : Spanish in France

Ukraine / Russia

Ukraine (Autonomous Republic of Crimea) → Russia : Ukrainian in Russia

The three clubs are from Crimea, a territory recognized by Ukraine and a majority of countries as part of Ukraine, but have been under effective Russian control as the Republic of Crimea since the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. FC Sevastopol and SC Tavriya Simferopol last played in the 2013–14 Ukrainian Premier League, and were dissolved after the completion of the season. The three clubs were reformed as football organizations of the Russian Federation and joined the Russian Professional Football League starting from the 2014–15 season, after approval from the Russian Football Union. The inclusion of Crimean clubs in Russian competitions have not been approved by either FIFA or UEFA, and the Football Federation of Ukraine have lodged a complaint. On 22 August 2014 UEFA decided "that any football matches played by Crimean clubs organised under the auspices of the Russian Football Union will not be recognised by UEFA until further notice", and on 4 December 2014, decided to prohibit Crimean clubs to play in competitions organised by the Russian Football Union as from 1 January 2015 and for the region to be considered as a "special zone" for football purposes until further notice.

Africa

Western Sahara / Morocco

Western Sahara → Morocco : Western Saharan in Morocco

Americas

Many North American sports leagues are made up of teams from different countries—three of the four largest professional leagues have teams representing cities on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. The same is true for soccer leagues. Although foreign clubs can and do participate in leagues based in the United States, no such team is eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup, which is only open to teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer).

Previously, Canadian teams playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) were not eligible to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs; their only method of qualification was through the Canadian Championship, the cup competition run by the Canadian Soccer Association. However, starting from the 2023 MLS season, Canadian teams can qualify for the expanded 2024 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs, or through the Leagues Cup, a competition run by MLS and Liga MX.

Those teams that do participate in U.S. leagues also participate in various competitions under their local federations to gain entry into the Champions League and the now defunct CONCACAF League.

Antigua and Barbuda / United States

Antigua and Barbuda → United States : Antiguan and Barbudan in the United States

  • Antigua Barracuda FC played in USL Pro (the league now known as the USL Championship) from 2011 to 2013. The team was forced to play its entire 2013 schedule on the road due to issues with its home stadium, normally a cricket ground, and folded after that season.

Bermuda / United States

Bermuda → United States : Bermudian in the United States

Canada / United States

Canada → United States : Canadian in the United States

Main article: List of Canadian soccer clubs in American leagues

Former

Several Canadian clubs played in previous incarnations of the NASL, including:

Canada's other MLS teams began fielding USL reserve sides in 2015, but both USL sides have since been folded. FC Montreal was folded by the Impact upon the announcement by Ottawa Fury FC that they would join the USL, with the Fury becoming the Impact's top affiliate. The Whitecaps folded Whitecaps FC 2 after the 2017 season in favor of an affiliation with a new USL side, Fresno FC.

The Toronto Lynx (which had played in the USL A-League/First Division until 2006) also participated until 2014 in the Premier Development League (PDL), known since 2019 as USL League Two. In addition, two Canadian MLS teams, the Impact and Whitecaps, previously fielded under-23 sides in the PDL. Former Canadian PDL/USL2 teams include the Abbotsford Mariners, Hamilton Rage, K–W United FC, FC London, original Ottawa Fury, and Vancouver Whitecaps Residency (replaced by Whitecaps U-23), Toronto FC III, Calgary Foothills FC, TSS FC Rovers, Victoria Highlanders.

FC Edmonton played in the modern North American Soccer League until 2017, at which time it halted professional operations. The club resumed professional play in 2019 on its own side of the US–Canada border in the new Canadian Premier League.

The Ottawa Fury began play in the NASL in 2014, replacing a PDL team of the same name. The team moved to the league now known as the USL Championship after the 2016 season before suspending operations following the 2019 season.

As in the men's game, the women's soccer pyramid contains leagues that operate on both sides of the border. The current top level, the National Women's Soccer League, operates solely in the U.S., although it receives financial backing from both U.S. Soccer and the Canadian Soccer Association, and also had backing from the Mexican Football Federation until that body organized its own women's league in 2017.

Puerto Rico / United States

Puerto Rico → United States : Puerto Rican in the United States

Even though Puerto Rico is a dependent territory of the United States, it has a separate football federation, the Puerto Rican Football Federation. The highest level of competition within Puerto Rico is the Puerto Rico Soccer League, and teams can qualify domestically as Puerto Rican entrants in the Caribbean Club Championship and the CONCACAF Champions League.

Asia and Oceania

Australia / Singapore

Australia → Singapore : Australian in Singapore

Brunei / Malaysia

Brunei → Malaysia : Bruneian in Malaysia

Brunei / Singapore

Brunei → Singapore : Bruneian in Singapore

China / Hong Kong

China → Hong Kong : Mainland Chinese in Hong Kong

While Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, it has its own football federation (Hong Kong Football Association) and professional league (Hong Kong Premier League).

Macau / China

Macau → China : Macanese in Mainland China

While Macau is a special administrative region of China, it has its own football federation (Macau Football Association) and league (Liga de Elite).

Malaysia / Australia

Malaysia → Australia: Malaysian in Australia

Malaysia / Singapore

Malaysia → Singapore : Malaysian in Singapore

Singapore → Malaysia : Singaporean in Malaysia

New Zealand / Australia

Wellington Regional Stadium, home of the Wellington Phoenix, one of two New Zealand teams in Australia's A-League

New Zealand → Australia : New Zealand in Australia

As New Zealand is a member of OFC and Australia is a member of AFC since moving from OFC in 2006, Wellington Phoenix are playing in the league of a member of another football confederation. As per agreement with FIFA, AFC and OFC, Wellington Phoenix are not allowed to participate in the AFC Champions League, regardless of their results in the A-League or the Australia Cup. They also do not participate in the OFC Champions League, as New Zealand is represented by clubs from its football league, the New Zealand Football Championship. Wellington Phoenix are the only extant professional football team in New Zealand; the New Zealand Football Championship is amateur. The reserve team of Wellington Phoenix began play in the NZ Championship in 2014–15, and have featured in every season since.

Satellite teams in Singapore

Besides DPMM FC, a number of "foreign" teams have also played in the S.League. These clubs, while playing their home games in Singapore, are satellite teams of foreign clubs:

As of 2016, only Albirex Niigata Singapore FC play in the S.League. The foreign teams are not allowed to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions such as the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup.

In recent years, foreign clubs from other countries have also been invited to participate in the Singapore Cup.

References

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  2. "Border football club ready to rise from the ashes". 11 July 2020.
  3. "Wales' oldest football club requests permission to move to English league system". 26 May 2022.
  4. "League entry denied". Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  5. "FA approves Cardiff for Uefa Cup". 24 April 2008. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
  6. Scott, Matt (6 May 2011). "Football Association breaks Welsh jurisdiction over Cardiff and Swansea". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  7. "Football Club History Database - Wrexham reserves".
  8. BK Allgäu 8 BFV website, accessed: 5 August 2019
  9. "Crimean clubs to play in Russian second division from next season". Inside World Football. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  10. "Ukraine crisis: Russia's claim on Crimea's football clubs". BBC Sport. 15 August 2014. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  11. "UEFA Emergency Panel decision on Crimean clubs". UEFA.org. 22 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  12. "UEFA Nations League format and schedule confirmed". UEFA.org. 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  13. "FC Bermuda Bascome". Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  14. "港超︱富力R&F落實棄戰港超 稱退出因現時香港足球氛圍". Ming Pao (in Traditional Chinese). 14 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  15. Ad hoc Committee for Professional Clubs
  16. "Phoenix reserve team to play in national league". Stuff.co.nz. 22 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
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