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GBE calculator: FA work permit points for men's players

Estimate whether an overseas player qualifies for a Governing Body Endorsement under the FA's 2025/26 points-based system — the auto-pass route on international appearances, or the six points tables against the 15-point pass mark.

FreeNo sign-upFormula includedUpdated 31 August 2026
Inputs

Player profile over the reference period

International appearances (Table 1)
Domestic league minutes (Table 2)
Continental competition minutes (Table 3)
Last club, last full season (Tables 4 & 5)
Current club (Table 6)

Calculation

Formula

Auto pass: the player's % of available senior competitive internationals over 24 months (12 for youth players) meets the threshold for his association's FIFA ranking band (Table 1). Otherwise Table 1 still awards points.

Points route: Table 1 points + domestic league minutes by league band (Table 2, max 12) + continental minutes by competition band (Table 3, max 10) + last club's league position (Table 4, max 6) + last club's continental progression (Table 5, max 10) + current club's league band (Table 6, max 12). 15 points = GBE granted; 10–14 = Exceptions Panel with evidence; below 10 = no route this window except ESC.

League bands (2025/26)

  • Band 1: Premier League (England), Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1
  • Band 2: Primeira Liga (Portugal), Eredivisie, Belgian Pro League, Süper Lig (Turkey), EFL Championship
  • Band 3: MLS, Brasileirão Série A, Argentine Primera División, Liga MX, Scottish Premiership
  • Band 4: Czech First League, Croatian HNL, Swiss Super League, La Liga 2, 2. Bundesliga, Ukrainian Premier League, Greek Super League, Colombian Primera A, Austrian Bundesliga, Danish Superliga, Russian Premier League, Ligue 2
  • Band 5: Serbian SuperLiga, Polish Ekstraklasa, Slovenian PrvaLiga, Chilean Primera División, Uruguayan Primera División, Allsvenskan, Eliteserien, Serie B (Italy), Hungarian NB I, J1 League, K League 1, A-League, EFL League One
  • Band 6: Any other league

Continental bands: Band 1 — UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores; Band 2 — UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Copa Sudamericana, FIFA Club World Cup; Band 3 — any other.

Example

Worked example

A 24-year-old from a nation ranked 31–50 who played 25% of its competitive internationals: 0 Table 1 points.

75% of league minutes in a Band 2 league (8), 45% of Europa League minutes (0 — Band 2 needs 50% for a point), last club qualified for a Band 2 group stage from a Band 2 league (2), reached the Europa League round of 16 (4), current club in Band 2 (10).

Total 24 points — passes comfortably. The same profile in a Band 4 league scores 4 + 0 + 0 + 4 + 6 = 14: Exceptions Panel territory.

Limits

What is not included

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

How many points do you need for a GBE?

15 points under the FA's men's criteria. Players with 10 to 14 points can be referred to an Exceptions Panel if the club can evidence exceptional circumstances that prevented them reaching 15. Players meeting the international auto-pass threshold need no points at all.

What is the GBE auto-pass?

Playing enough senior competitive international matches for a highly ranked nation. For a top-10 nation, 30% of available matches over 24 months is enough; for a nation ranked 31–50 it is 70%; nations ranked 51 and below have no auto-pass route and earn at most 2 points from internationals.

Which leagues are Band 1 for GBE?

The Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1. Band 2 covers the Portuguese, Dutch, Belgian and Turkish top flights plus the EFL Championship. The full six-band list is published in the FA criteria and reproduced above.

What is an ESC place?

An Elite Significant Contribution place lets a club sign a player who does not meet the points criteria, if the club has enough minutes played by England-qualified players. Premier League and Championship clubs can hold up to four ESC players, League One and Two clubs up to two, depending on their weighted English-qualified-player minutes percentage.

Does the reference period differ for young players?

Yes. For the international route, youth players (born on or after 1 January 2004 in 2025/26) are assessed over 12 months rather than 24. Youth players also earn a debut bonus in Table 2 — up to 6 points in a Band 1 league — for a first senior appearance in the reference period.

Sources

References

These sources support the calculation and definitions used on this page:

Last reviewed: 31 August 2026

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