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

There are a number of football clubs around the world that are based in one country/territory but play in another's football league. Conditions for competing in a "foreign" league, as well as in a continental/confederational competition, are set case-by-case by FIFA as well as the respective confederation and national football associations involved.

United Kingdom 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. Clubs that play outside what would be regarded as their 'home country' include:

England / Scotland

→  : English in Scotland

• Berwick Rangers play in the Scottish football league system (Scottish Football League Third Division as of 2011–12), due to its proximity to the Scottish border.

→  : Scottish in England

• None at present.
• Gretna played in the English football league system until 2002 when they were elected to the Scottish Football League. They folded in 2008.

England / Wales

→  : English in Wales

• The New Saints, one of only two fully professional clubs in the Welsh Premier League, represents both the Welsh village of Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain and the English town of Oswestry (the two places are 8 miles/13 km apart), since its merger in 2003 with financially troubled Oswestry Town, an English club which had always played in the Welsh football structure. Since the 2007–08 season, they play in Oswestry, while previously playing in Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain. As regular contenders to the Welsh Premier League title and Welsh Cup, The New Saints have represented Wales in European competitions.
• Trefonen play in the Welsh football league system (Montgomeryshire League).
• Newcastle play in the Welsh football league system (Mid Wales South League).
• Bishop's Castle did play in the Montgomeryshire League, but moved to the Shropshire County League (in the English football league system) in 2010.

→  : Welsh in England

• Swansea City play in the Premier League (as of 2011–12; this is the first season a Welsh club will play in the Premier League since its formation in 1992–93).
• Cardiff City play in the Football League Championship (as of 2011–12).
• Newport County and Wrexham play in the Conference National (as of 2011–12).
• Colwyn Bay play in the Conference North (as of 2011–12).
• Merthyr Town play in the Western Football League Premier Division (as of 2011–12).

Although all the above clubs play in the English football league system and are allowed to compete in the FA Cup, Newport County, Wrexham, Colwyn Bay and Merthyr Town are under the jurisdiction of the Football Association of Wales. Cardiff City and Swansea City previously had a similar arrangement until the 2010-11 season.

Cardiff City (1921–29, 1952–57 and 1960–62) and Swansea City (1981–83) have played in the old Football League First Division, the top division of English football at that time. Cardiff City are also the only non-English side to have won the FA Cup, winning it in 1927; they again reached the 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.

The following Welsh clubs also played in the English football league system before the launch of the League of Wales, now the Welsh Premier League:

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Bangor City
• Barry Town
• Caernarfon Town
• Newtown
• Rhyl

The following defunct Welsh clubs also played in the English league system:

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Aberdare Athletic
• Lovells Athletic
• Merthyr Tydfil

Until 1995, the above clubs were allowed to participate in the Welsh Cup, and represented Wales in the Cup Winners' Cup if they won. Clubs playing in those parts of England close to the Welsh border could also play in the Welsh Cup, but could not represent Wales even if they won.

• In addition, Deva Stadium, home to Chester and previously to the defunct Chester City, straddles the England-Wales border, and its entire pitch is in Wales (though the club offices, which are part of the stadium complex, are in England).

Republic of Ireland / Northern Ireland

→  : Northern Irish in the Republic of Ireland

• Two different clubs bearing the name Derry City have played in the Republic of Ireland football league system:
  • The original club, founded in 1928, played in the Northern Ireland football league system until 1972, when it was expelled from the Irish Football League due to issues related to The Troubles. The club then spent 13 years without a league until being admitted to the second level of the League of Ireland in 1985. Two years later, they earned promotion to the League of Ireland's first level, and continued there until their expulsion in 2009 for financial mismanagement. The club was dissolved shortly thereafter.
  • A new Derry City club, which considers itself to be a continuation of the original, was founded in January 2010, and was admitted to the second level of the League of Ireland starting with that season. They returned to the top flight at the first opportunity by winning the First Division title.

Derry City have won the league titles of both Northern Ireland (1964–65) and the Republic of Ireland (1988–89, 1996–97), and also the cup titles of both Northern Ireland (1948–49, 1953–54, 1963–64) and the Republic of Ireland (1988–89, 1994–95, 2002, 2006), and have represented both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in European club competitions.

Guernsey/England

→  : Guernsey in England

• Guernsey F.C. play in the Combined Counties League Division 1.

Continental Europe

→  : Andorran in Spain

• FC Andorra play in the Spanish football league system (Territorial Primera de Catalunya).

→  : German in Switzerland

• FC Büsingen play in the Swiss football league system, as Büsingen is a German exclave surrounded by Switzerland.

→  : Italian in Switzerland

• AP Campionese play in the Swiss football league system, as Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave surrounded by Switzerland.

→  : Liechtensteiner in Switzerland

• FC Balzers
• USV Eschen/Mauren
• FC Ruggell
• FC Schaan
• FC Triesen
• FC Triesenberg
• FC Vaduz (played in the Swiss Super League for the 2008–09 season, the first Liechtenstein club to play in the top level of Swiss football; now in the second-level Challenge League)

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 winner representing Liechtenstein in the UEFA Europa League. Liechtenstein clubs do not play in the Swiss Cup, and are not eligible for qualification to European competitions via the Swiss league system.

→  : Monegasque in France

• AS Monaco FC play in the French football league system (Ligue 2 as of 2011–12), as Monaco does not have a professional league. They are one of the most successful clubs in France having won seven Ligue 1, five Coupe de France and one Coupe de la Ligue titles, and have also represented France in European competitions, reaching the final of the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1992 and of the UEFA Champions League in 2004.

→  : Sammarinese in Italy

• San Marino Calcio play in the Italian football league system (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione).
• A.C. Juvenes/Dogana played in both the Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio and the Italian amateur levels until the 2006-07 season. Now they play only in the Sammarinese league.

→  : Cypriot in Greece

• Olympiakos Nicosia played in Greece in 1967–68, 1969–70, and 1971–72.
• AEL Limassol played in Greece in 1968–69.
• EPA Larnaca FC played in Greece in 1970–71.
• AC Omonia played in Greece in 1972–73.
• APOEL F.C. played in Greece in 1973–74.

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

→  : Austrian in Germany

• SV Kleinwalsertal has played in Germany since the 1960s, playing in the tier twelve B-Klasse Allgäu 6 in 2011–12.
• From 1938 to 1945, Austrian clubs participated in the German Gauliga system because Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany. Additionally, a number of clubs from France, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia and Poland also played in the German league system during their occupation.

North America

As many North American sports leagues are made up of teams from different countries—three of the four largest professional leagues in Anglophone North America have teams representing cities on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border—this phenomenon can also be seen in 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. They are also not eligible to represent the United States in the CONCACAF Champions League.

→  : Antiguan in the United States

• Antigua Barracuda FC are playing in the new third-level league, USL Pro, starting in 2011.

→  : Bermudian in the United States

• Bermuda Hogges play in the USL Premier Development League, having decided to self-relegate from the USL Second Division (the effective predecessor to USL Pro) after the 2009 season. Many of the players appear for the Bermuda national team.

→  : Canadian in the United States

• Toronto FC have played in Major League Soccer since 2007.
• Vancouver Whitecaps FC joined MLS in 2011. This became their third different league in three seasons. A member of the USL First Division through 2009, the Whitecaps broke away from the USL to join the new North American Soccer League for 2010. However, after neither the NASL nor USL-1 received official sanctioning, they played the 2010 season in the temporary USSF Division 2.
• The Montreal Impact, like the Whitecaps, are playing in their third different league in three seasons in 2011; they played alongside the Whitecaps in both 2009 and 2010. However, the Impact's 2011 league is the new NASL. The team's 2012 move to MLS will mark their fourth league in as many seasons (and presumably their final league move).
• FC Edmonton started playing in the new NASL in 2011.
• Several Canadian clubs played in previous incarnations of the NASL, including:
  • Calgary Boomers
  • Edmonton Drillers
  • Montreal Manic
  • Montreal Olympique
  • Toronto Blizzard (also known as Toronto Metros and Toronto Metros-Croatia)
  • Toronto Falcons
  • Vancouver Royals
  • Vancouver Whitecaps
• Abbotsford Mariners, Forest City London, Hamilton Rage, Ottawa Fury, Thunder Bay Chill, Toronto Lynx (played in the USL A-League/First Division until 2006), Vancouver Whitecaps Residency, Victoria Highlanders and WSA Winnipeg play in the USL Premier Development League.

The four professional clubs from Canada (Toronto FC, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and - starting in 2011 - FC Edmonton) contest the Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup to determine Canada's entrant into the CONCACAF Champions League.

→  : Puerto Rican in the United States

• Puerto Rico Islanders, who played in the USL First Division in 2009 and USSF Division 2 in 2010, are playing in the new NASL in 2011. 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, which the team do not usually participate in (however, they played in the 2010 season when it was played in a shortened format). The Islanders have represented Puerto Rico at the CFU Club Championship and the CONCACAF Champions League.
• Sevilla FC Puerto Rico, Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico United were initially going to play in USL Pro in the 2011 season, but were removed due to severe economic difficulties.

Asia

China / Hong Kong

→  : Mainland Chinese in Hong Kong

• Lanwa FC played in the Hong Kong First Division League for three seasons from 2005 to 2008. While Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, it has its own football federation and professional league.
• Sheffield United and Xiangxue Eisiti were both reserve teams of clubs based in mainland China which played in the 2008–09 Hong Kong First Division League season. However, both teams actually played their home games in Hong Kong.

Singapore / Malaysia / Brunei

→  : Singaporean in Malaysia

• The Football Association of Singapore used to enter a team in the Malaysian league, but pulled out after the 1994 season following a dispute with the Football Association of Malaysia over gate receipts, and launched its own S.League. From 2012, a new Singapore representative side, based around the Under-23 team will participate in both the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Cup.

→  : Malaysian in Singapore

• As part of a two-way arrangement with the Football Association of Singapore, the Football Association of Malaysia will enter a representative side based around the Under-23 national team in the S-League from 2012.

→  : Bruneian in Malaysia

• DPMM FC played in the Malaysia Premier League in 2006, and the Malaysia Super League in 2007 and 2008.
• The Football Association of Brunei Darussalam used to enter a team in the Malaysian league.

→  : Bruneian in Singapore

• DPMM FC play in the S.League, starting in 2009, after getting kicked out the Malaysian Super League for the 2009 season (see below). They were also invited to take part in the Singapore Cup in 2007. But since the FIFA ban on the Brunei FA in 2009, DPMM FC have stopped their participation.

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 either satellite teams of foreign clubs or are made up exclusively of foreign players:

• Albirex Niigata Singapore FC (a satellite team of Albirex Niigata, a top-level professional club in Japan's J. League)
• Beijing Guoan Talent Singapore FC (a satellite team of Beijing Guoan F.C., a top-level professional club in China's Super League)
• Dalian Shide Siwu FC (a satellite team of Dalian Haichang, a top-level professional club in China's Super League)
• Etoile FC (made up of players of French origin)
• Liaoning Guangyuan FC (a satellite team of Liaoning FC, a top-level professional club in China's Super League)
• Sinchi FC (a team made up of players from China)
• Sporting Afrique FC (made up of players of African origin)
• Yishun Super Reds FC (made up of players from South Korea)

As of 2011, only Albirex Niigata Singapore FC and Etoile 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. Moreover, due to the presence of foreign teams in the S.League, the AFC does not allow S.League teams to participate in the AFC Champions League since 2011.

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

Oceania

→  : New Zealander in Australia

• Wellington Phoenix play in the A-League, starting from the 2007–08 season.
• New Zealand Knights played in the National Soccer League from 1999 to 2004 (as Football Kingz FC) and in the A-League from 2005 to 2007.

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. 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.

Note that it is not uncommon for New Zealand teams to play in Australian professional sports leagues—the National Rugby League (rugby league) and National Basketball League both have one team from New Zealand, and the Women's National Basketball League had a New Zealand team in the 2007–08 season. This phenomenon is most pronounced in rugby union, in which the Super Rugby competition, a joint enterprise between the governing bodies of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, has five teams from each of the three countries as of the current 2011 season, with plans to add a sixth South African team in 2013.

Sources

• Where's My Country? Article on cross-border movements of football clubs, at RSSSF.com