Arsenal must submit their Champions League List A squad by 11.59pm CET tonight, with UEFA rules on locally trained players, List B youngsters and senior squad limits shaping Mikel Arteta’s final European selection.
The domestic and European rules are not identical.
Premier League clubs can register up to 25 senior players, with no more than 17 who fail to meet the homegrown criteria. UEFA also allows a maximum 25-player List A, but imposes stricter requirements around club-trained and association-trained players.
That makes squad registration an important final part of Arsenal’s summer rebuild after the club completed almost £200m of senior recruitment. Our complete Arsenal summer transfer guide tracks every major arrival and departure.
Arsenal squad registration rules at a glance
| Rule | Premier League | Champions League |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum main squad | 25 | 25 on List A |
| Unrestricted/non-homegrown places | Maximum 17 | Maximum effectively 17 with full local quota |
| Home/local training requirement | Remaining places must be homegrown | Eight places reserved for locally trained players |
| Club-trained requirement | No separate quota | At least four needed for a full 25-player squad |
| Young players | Eligible U21s outside the 25 | Eligible players can use List B |
| Separate youth list | No UEFA-style system | Yes, List B |
| Deadline | Post-window PL submission | 2 September, 23:59 CET |
UEFA confirms that clubs must submit List A by 23:59 CET on Wednesday, 2 September, while List B can continue to be amended throughout the season.
What does homegrown mean in the Premier League?
Homegrown does not simply mean English.
A player’s nationality is not the determining factor.
Premier League squad rules define homegrown status according to whether a player spent the required development period registered with clubs affiliated to the FA or FA of Wales before reaching the relevant age threshold.
That is why an overseas-born player can qualify as homegrown, while an England international who developed abroad may not.
The Premier League allows no more than 17 non-homegrown senior players in a 25-man squad. The remaining places must be occupied by qualifying homegrown players.
Arsenal’s current squad includes several obvious homegrown options, including Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Ben White and William Saliba.
That domestic balance has changed considerably under Arteta, with Read Arsenal recently examining how Arsenal’s increasingly English core has reversed a famous Arsène Wenger-era first.
Do Arsenal’s young players count towards the 25-man Premier League squad?
Eligible Under-21 players can play in addition to the main senior squad.
That gives clubs with productive academy systems additional flexibility.
For Arsenal, Hale End prospects can potentially provide first-team depth without occupying the same type of senior registration place as an older signing.
Players such as Max Dowman and other emerging academy prospects therefore have squad-building value beyond their individual ability.
Read Arsenal has tracked that pipeline throughout the summer, including Arsenal’s confirmation of nine new first-year scholars.
How are Champions League rules different?
UEFA uses two player lists:
List A
→ Arsenal’s main Champions League squad.
List B
→ an additional list for qualifying young players.
List A can contain a maximum of 25 players, including at least two goalkeepers.
But Arsenal cannot simply fill all 25 spaces with any senior players they want.
Eight places are reserved for locally trained players.
What is a UEFA locally trained player?
UEFA splits locally trained players into two categories:
- club-trained
- association-trained
No more than four of the eight locally trained places can be filled by association-trained players.
In practical terms, a club wanting to use the full 25-man List A needs sufficient club-trained representation as well.
If Arsenal cannot meet the locally trained requirement, they do not receive extra unrestricted places.
Instead, the maximum List A size is reduced.
That is why UEFA registration can sometimes create a tighter problem than Premier League registration.
What is a club-trained player?
A club-trained player is someone who spent the required development period registered specifically with Arsenal during UEFA’s qualifying age window.
That makes genuine Hale End graduates especially valuable.
A player who qualifies can potentially provide:
- first-team quality
- Premier League homegrown status
- UEFA club-trained status
depending on their exact registration history.
Arsenal cannot simply buy a 27-year-old who has spent his entire career at another English club and make him UEFA club-trained.
That status comes from development at Arsenal itself.
What is an association-trained player?
Association-trained players spent the qualifying development period with Arsenal or another club in the same national association, without necessarily meeting Arsenal’s club-trained criteria.
Again, nationality is not the important factor.
That creates a crucial difference between a player developed at Hale End and a player who developed somewhere else in English football.
Both might help with domestic registration.
They do not necessarily have the same value when Arsenal construct a Champions League squad.
What is Champions League List B?
List B provides extra flexibility for qualifying younger players.
UEFA allows List B to be amended throughout the competition, provided players satisfy its age and club-registration conditions.
Unlike List A, the list does not have to be fixed for the entire league phase tonight. UEFA says eligible List B players can be submitted by 23:59 CET on the day before the relevant match.
That is why a young Arsenal player can appear in Europe without necessarily occupying one of the main 25 places.
Age alone is not enough, however.
The player’s qualifying registration history with Arsenal also matters.
Why Arsenal’s summer transfers matter for registration
The registration picture has shifted significantly because Arteta has reshaped his squad.
Arsenal added players including Bruno Guimarães, Ezri Konsa, Piero Hincapié and Christos Tzolis, while Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and several others left.
Our full Arsenal transfer round-up shows how extensive that overhaul became.
Those transfers affect more than simply the depth chart.
Every older non-homegrown arrival potentially consumes one of the restricted senior spaces.
Conversely, players who meet domestic or UEFA training requirements can make the squad significantly easier to construct.
That is also why selling or loaning a fringe senior player can sometimes be important even when Arsenal do not urgently need the transfer fee.
Arsenal’s 2026/27 Champions League fixtures
Whoever Arteta registers will face a demanding league phase.
Arsenal begin away to Napoli on 9 September before matches against Lille, Bayern Munich, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Real Betis and Sabah.
Our complete Arsenal Champions League fixture guide contains all eight dates and venues.
UEFA also confirms Arsenal are one of 36 clubs competing in the 2026/27 league phase.
That competition starts only a week after the registration deadline.
Can Arsenal change their Champions League squad in January?
Yes, but only within UEFA’s rules.
Following the league phase, clubs can register up to three new eligible players before the knockout rounds.
The locally trained requirements still apply.
That allows January signings to enter the squad, but Arsenal cannot completely rebuild their List A after the league phase.
Why Arsenal’s squad depth matters
Arteta now has one of the deepest groups of his Arsenal tenure.
The Read Arsenal First Team hub tracks the senior squad throughout the season, while our Arsenal players guide provides a wider reference point for ages, contracts and squad status.
Registration rules explain why not every theoretically available player carries identical squad value.
One player may occupy an unrestricted place.
Another may qualify as homegrown.
A Hale End graduate may satisfy a more valuable club-trained requirement.
Those distinctions become particularly important when Arsenal are trying to compete in the Premier League and Champions League simultaneously.
Arsenal squad registration FAQ
How many players can Arsenal register in the Premier League?
Arsenal can submit up to 25 senior players, with no more than 17 who do not meet the homegrown criteria. Eligible young players can be used in addition to the senior list. (premierleague.com)
Does homegrown mean English?
No. Homegrown status is based on where a player developed and was registered, not their nationality.
How many players can Arsenal register for the Champions League?
UEFA permits up to 25 players on List A, subject to locally trained requirements. (uefa.com)
How many locally trained players do Arsenal need?
Eight List A places are reserved for locally trained players, with no more than four of those places available to association-trained players. (uefa.com)
What is the difference between homegrown and club-trained?
Premier League homegrown rules concern development within English or Welsh football.
UEFA club-trained status specifically concerns a player’s qualifying development period at Arsenal.
What is UEFA List B?
List B is an additional Champions League list for eligible young players who meet UEFA’s age and club-development conditions.
When is Arsenal’s Champions League squad deadline?
Arsenal must submit List A by 23:59 CET on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. (uefa.com)
When is Arsenal’s first Champions League match?
Arsenal visit Napoli on 9 September. The full Arsenal Champions League fixture list is available here.
