
Cap-tied is an adjective, used primarily in
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...
, to describe a player who has represented a senior national football team in more than three games (including at least one competitive game) and as a result is unable to represent another FIFA-affiliated national team. The term is a play on "
cup-tied", which refers to a player who is not eligible to appear in a cup competition for a new team after having appeared for another team earlier in the season.
In general, a player is "cap-tied" once they have played in an official competition for the senior national team.
A player who was only eligible to play for one nation at the time of their first competitive appearance, no matter the level, is cap-tied to that nation. For example,
Adama Traoré, an
Ivorian youth international, had shown interest in playing for the
Socceroos after having moved to Australia; however, in October 2013, the FFA released a statement saying that he was ineligible for Australia because of his prior appearances.
If a player was eligible to play for multiple nations prior to making a competitive appearance, they are cap-tied to a nation after playing more than three matches for one national team, including at least one competitive appearance (if the player is under 21 at the time, no matter the level of competition, as long as they have not played in the finals of a major tournament), or after making a competitive appearance (if the player is over 21 at the time and the appearance is for the senior team). Allowing young players to play a couple games before becoming cap-tied was a change to the rules announced during the 2020
FIFA congress, with the hope to prevent "one-cap wonders"; it was seen as an opportunity for some dual-national players, like Spanish-Moroccan
Munir El Haddadi, who were called-up as promising players for European nations, but not afforded more than one or two caps, to elevate the level of their African heritage nations.
Playing only in friendly competitions at any level does not cap-tie a player. A player who competes for one nation in a friendly match is not considered cap-tied and may represent another nation in a competitive fixture, should the opportunity present itself. An example of this is
Jermaine Jones, who had played three friendlies for
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
in 2008 but started competing for the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
in 2010.
In some instances, players have
sought refuge in another country after having represented their national team in an official competition. Players such as
Maykel Galindo,
Lester Moré, and
Osvaldo Alonso represented
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and are unable to represent either Cuba or another nation.
Before football was regulated, some players did represent multiple teams internationally. In the 21st century, Spanish players may represent their
autonomous community (or
Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...
) in friendly matches while playing for the
Spain national team; the only way players can represent multiple nations at a senior competitive level is British players representing their national team (
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, or
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
) and Great Britain at the Olympics.
References
{{reflist
Association football terminology
Change of nationality in sport