Colombian player union opposes decision to cut squad sizes ahead of 2026 season

• The Colombian players’ union has strongly opposed Dimayor’s decision to reduce squad sizes from 30 to 25 players, warning that the measure will lead to widespread job losses and increased pressure on players
• Former Colombia international Carlos Bacca has also spoken out against the change, highlighting its impact on players and their families
• According to ACOLFUTPRO, the decision will “directly cause unemployment for 180 professional footballers” and represents an act of “retaliation” against the union for defending players’ rights

Colombian football has recently experienced a new episode that the domestic players’ union ACOLFUTPRO denounces as going against the interests and rights of the country’s professional footballers.

At the end of December 2025, the Dimayor League announced the number of professional players registered per club for competitions starting in 2026 would be reduced from 30 to 25, a measure that ACOLFUTPRO said in a statement would "directly generate unemployment for 180 professional footballers".

The union also believes that the measure will worsen an already congested calendar like Colombia’s, forcing teams to compete with fewer registered players and negatively affecting workers’ performance, health, and recovery due to increased physical demands.

Carlos Bacca, former Colombia international and former striker for AC Milan and Sevilla, was clear in his opposition to the new rule.

"It’s difficult because many families will be left without an income and many players will be left without work. That’s the reality," said Bacca, who now plays for Junior de Barranquilla.

"I think this needs to be approached more carefully. There are clubs like Junior that have more than 30 players, and many of them won’t be able to be registered. Even so, the club will still be responsible for paying them."

Clubs participating in competitions organised by CONMEBOL are currently allowed to register up to 35 players, meaning those teams would have to cut as many as 10 players from their squads.

Dimayor president Carlos Zuluaga described the measure approved by the Assembly as "very wise" and said it was based on data analysis.

"When we analysed the players who were on the pitch for a minimum of 45 minutes during the season, we found that the maximum number of players per team in the competition was 23. Therefore, it is not necessary to have 30 players," he said.

Union rejects the data

ACOLFUTPRO strongly disputes Dimayor’s figures. Speaking to FIFPRO.org, the union’s executive director Carlos Gonzalez Puche said the league’s justification lacks a factual basis.

"We calculated player participation and it is clearly much higher than what they are using to support their argument," Gonzalez Puche said.

According to union data, the maximum number of players used per team is 28, not 23. On average, 30.6 players per club played at least one minute during the season.

"The situation is extremely serious for both players and their families,” Gonzalez Puche added. "There are players with valid contracts who are being told they may not be retained because only 25 players can be registered. This is a very drastic reduction."

'An act of retaliation'

Gonzalez Puche believes the decision is a direct response to ACOLFUTPRO’s recent stance on labour issues.

"This is a reprisal for the firm positions ACOLFUTPRO has taken in recent months," he said. "During the Dimayor Assembly, it was even stated that the reason was to have '180 fewer union members' to deal with. That shows the discomfort caused by players asserting their rights."

After many months of negotiations, in January 2025 the union reached agreements with the Colombian Football Federation (FCF) and Dimayor, with the mediation of the Ministry of Labour, for the benefit of the country’s footballers. However, these achievements were only partial, as several demands on the list of claims remained unresolved.

Following the threat of a strike in March 2025 and further mediation by the Minister of Labour, negotiations on the outstanding demands were concluded in September. A labour agreement was scheduled to be formalised on 6 November, but the directors of the FCF and Dimayor ultimately refused to sign it.

In mid-December, Labour Minister Antonio Sanguino publicly urged both institutions to finalise the agreement, which remains unsigned.

"They are implementing measures they claim are meant to protect the business by reducing costs," Gonzalez Puche said. "But the human cost to players is enormous."