In order to be part of a country’s National Team, one must fulfill a minimum of one of the following requirements:

- Be a citizen of the country

- Be a permanent resident of the country*

- Hold a valid immigrant visa for the country**

- Have lived permanently in the country before the start of 2026

Additionally any player who has represented a country at an international event in the last 36 months is ineligible to represent a different country at worlds. If an individual has represented two countries in the last 36 months (prior to the introduction of this rule) then their most recent representation is considered to be their country of representation.*

*Permanent Residency (PR) is defined as a person’s resident status in a country of which they are not citizens. PR is given by the government of a country to a person who is allowed to stay in the country indefinitely.

**Immigrant visa is a blanket term that refers to visa’s which are long term, or visa’s that are a part of the process of becoming a citizen.

***In very rare circumstances, at the joint request of both a player AND the NGB with who they want to represent, the IRF may, at their discretion, grant an exception.

We understand that the new clause in the eligibility for Worlds may cause some issues for players who have played for multiple countries in the last 36 months. For countries and players seeking an exemption the rule, the following questions must be addressed, saved as a PDF, and attached to an email sent to info@roundnetfederation.org. Please title the email ‘exception application - (country name) (player name)’. Please CC the player and provide the following information:

1. Your name, country, and role within your NGB.

2. Name of the player you wish to represent your country.

3. Eligibility criteria the player meets for all relevant countries.

4. Summary of the player’s international competitions in the last 36 months, including which countries they represented.

5. Reason for requesting this player: any status changes, relocation, or team needs.

6. Confirmation that you have spoken with the player and they intend to play for your country.

7. Confirmation the player has not tried out for or expressed interest in another country.

The IRF Board will then consider the application. Please note that while receipt of the email will be acknowledged within a week, it may take 6-8 weeks for a decision to come from the IRF.
Please note that if a player has tried out for one country, failed to make the team, and is now seeking an exception to play for another country, this application will be unlikely to succeed. Additionally, this is an ‘exception’ process - you need to prove why it is important. The decision by the IRF will be final.