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

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.

Premise 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, or new nations separated from others, or which stopped competing in a nation's league system because their location was transferred to another nation, are not included in this article.

United Kingdom

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.

Clubs from Bermuda are included in the Americas section of the article. Akrotiri and Dhekelia Clubs based in Akrotiri and Dhekelia play in the league system of Cyprus.

Wales

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. Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham, and Newport County 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.

Liverpool Reserves have played home matches at the Deva Stadium mentioned below and also the Racecourse Ground, home of Wrexham AFC.

Deva Stadium, home of Chester FC and previously Chester City, is located almost entirely in Wales. However, the club is still listed as based in England.

Crown Dependencies The Guernsey Football Association, Jersey Football Association, and the Isle of Man Football Association have no international recognition; they have county status within the English Football Association.

Table of clubs +List of clubsClubLeague systemPeriodCurrent/Last LeagueDetails Berwick Rangers Scottish football league system1951–presentScottish Lowland League Tweedmouth Rangers2016–presentEast of Scotland Third Division Annan AthleticEnglish football league system1952–1977SPFL League Two Gretna1947–2002Scottish Premier LeagueDefunct; 2008 Cardiff City 1920–presentEFL Championship Swansea City 1920–presentEFL Championship Wrexham 1921–presentEFL ChampionshipReserves played in Wales second tier until 1995 Newport County1920–presentEFL League Two Merthyr Town F.C2010–presentNational League North Caernarfon Town1992–1995Cymru Premier Barry Town1992–1993Cymru Premier Colwyn Bay1992–2019Cymru Premier Merthyr Tydfil F.C.1992–2010Southern League Premier DivisionDefunct; 2010 Guernsey F.C. 2011–presentSouthern Combination Premier Division Jersey Bulls F.C.2018–presentIsthmian League South Division F.C. Isle of Man2019–presentNorth West Counties League Premier Division The New Saints Welsh football league system1992–presentCymru PremierPreviously they played in the Welsh village of Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, and in 2010 were planning on playing in Chester. Newcastle (Shropshire)Montgomeryshire Amateur League TrefonenMontgomeryshire Amateur League Bishop's Castle Town1992–2010;2016–presentCentral Wales League Northern Division Morda United1992–1994;2014–2017Shropshire County Premier DivisionFolded; 2018, Reformed; 2020, Folded; 2025 Llanymynech2011–2022Shropshire County Premier Division Clun Valley F.C.1992–1996Mid-Wales LeagueDefunct; 1996 Bucknell F.C.1992–2015Shropshire County Premier DivisionDefunct; 2015 Chirk Town F.C.2019–2022North East Wales League Premier DivisionDefunct; 2022 Oswestry Town1993–2003Welsh Premier LeagueMerged with Total Network Solutions, later The New Saints; 2003

Continental Europe

Table of clubs ClubLeague systemCurrent / last leaguePeriodDetails Derry City Irish football league systemLeague of Ireland Premier Division1985–presentThey previously played in the Irish League from 1928 to 1972. They have won the title in Northern Ireland in 1964–65 and in the Republic of Ireland twice - 1988–89 and 1996–97. FC Andorra Spanish football league systemSegunda División1942–present SV Kleinwalsertal German football league systemB-Klasse Allgäu 8BK Allgäu 8 BFV website, accessed: 5 August 20191960s - present FK Borac Banja Luka Yugoslav football league systemPremier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina1992 - 1995Technically, the club stayed Yugoslav and continued to participate in Yugoslav competition until 1995, despite Bosnia and Herzegovina having been recognised as independent in 1992. Olympiakos Nicosia Greek football league system1967 – 68, 1969 – 70, 1971 – 72From 1967 to 1974, the champion of the Cypriot First Division was promoted to the Greek First Division. AEL Limassol1968 – 69 EPA Larnaca FC1970 – 71 AC Omonia1972 – 73 APOEL F.C.1973 – 74 IF Fram Swedish football league system1999 – 2011All clubs are based in Åland, an autonomous region of Finland with an ethnic Swedish population. Clubs from Åland Play in both The Swedish and Finnish systems. IF Östernäskamraterna2004 – 2007 Eckerö IF2005 – 2009 Jomala IK 2000 – 2005 IF Finströms Kamraterna2002 – 2003 IF Start2004 Lemlands IF2011 – 2021 Hammarlands IK2014 – 2023 Volna Kaliningrad Lithuanian League system2000 – 2001Folded FC Büsingen Swiss Football League 4. Liga – Group 51924–presentBüsingen am Hochrhein is a German exclave surrounded by Switzerland. AP Campionese5. Liga – Group 11978–presentCampione d'Italia is an Italian exclave surrounded by Switzerland. The club did not compete during the COVID pandemic. FC Chiasso Italian football league system1914 - 1923 San Marino CalcioItalian football league systemSerie D2021–presentThe 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. FC Balzers Swiss Football 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 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. USV Eschen/Mauren FC Ruggell FC Schaan FC Triesen FC Triesenberg FC Vaduz1932–presentFC Vaduz has had three stints in the top flight in Switzerland so far: the first in the 2008–09 season, the second running from 2014 to 2017, and the third in 2020–21. After winning the Swiss Challenge League in the 2025-2026 season, they will play their fourth stint beginning in the 2026-2027 season. 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. AS Monaco FC French football league systemLigue 11933–presentMonaco does not have a professional league and the Monégasque Football Federation, which has no international recognition, was not formed until 2000. They are one of the most successful clubs in France having won eight 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. UE BossòstOccitanie League, Haute-Garonne District, D21927–present In the first years of the team, they could not cross to the other side of the valley because of the snow, for this reason the football team of the Aran Valley plays in France. In fact, until they built the Vielha tunnel, they could not cross into Catalan territory during the winter. 1. FC SaarbrückenFrench Div 21947/48

Transnistria

→ : Transnistrian in Moldova

Transnistria is a break away state that does not operate its own league system FC Sheriff Tiraspol

Kosovo → : 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.

FK Ibar Leposavić FK Kopaonik Lešak FK Moša Banje FK Rudar Kosovska Mitrovica FK Zvečan FK Radnik Prilužje (until 2013) FK Sočanica (until 2014)

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

FK Mokra Gora plays in the national Serbian League West FK Trepča play in the Morava Zone League

Ukraine () → : Ukrainian in Russia

FC SKChF Sevastopol (reconstituted based on FC Sevastopol) FC TSK Simferopol (reconstituted based on SC Tavriya Simferopol) FC Zhemchuzhina Yalta (revived based on same club that was disqualified from Ukrainian competitions)

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.