No. 1 and No. 302 compete in the same game. What are the rules for the player’s numbers?

In the third round of the North American League Cup where Miami International defeated the Cougars 3-1 at home, the No. 181 of the Lou Club goalkeeper Miguel Paul attracted the attention of fans. Meanwhile, in the 88th minute of the game, the Cougars teenagers - 20-year-old Angel Asuyahe and 17-year-old Emiliano Villasenor made their posts, with their back numbers 215 and 258 respectively. In addition, the Cougars' roster also include No. 206 Misael Torres and No. 256 Rodrigo Parra.

(Pugainst goalkeeper Miguel Paul)

In this North American League Cup event, such a three-digit number is not uncommon. As of now, there are 34 players with three figures on the roster of all teams in this tournament, all of which are Mexican League players, the largest number is No. 302 of the Mexican team Puebla team Mateo Gonzalez.

(Photo taken before the game in Atlas, Guadalajara, a total of 4 players with 3-digit numbers)

Why does a 3-digit number appear in this North American League Cup?

North American League Cup Competition Rules

North American League Cup Competition Rules Item VIII Competition Operation Article 7 Clothing Regulations:

a. Players must use the player's name and number on the back of the game jersey. The player's number must also appear on the front of the shorts. The player number can be composed of two or three digits, and the color of the number must be contrasted with the color of the team uniform.

b. All players must use their number registered in their respective leagues and must not change the number during the tournament.

c. With any provision to the contrary, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to resolve conflicts of numbers.

Therefore, 34 players with three-digit numbers are from the Mexican League, which means that the Mexican League allows players to use three-digit numbers when registering the league, while other leagues such as the American League are usually limited to two-digit numbers.

Mexican Super League competition rules

Mexican Super League number rules are essentially a hierarchical coding system. From first teams to youth training echelons of all ages, each numerical range corresponds to a clear identity positioning. This precise division makes the number a digital ID card at the level to which the player belongs.

First Team: No. 1-40

2025/26 Mexican Premier League Competition Rules Article 67 stipulates that

Mexican Premier League players' jersey numbers are up to double digits, and must be compared with the color of the jersey, with the maximum double digits in front of the shorts. The league may authorize higher numbers. Only players from the team's youth training can use up to 3 digits, provided that the number corresponding to them is corresponding to the club number in order to identify them.

For players registered in the Mexican Premier League, numbers from 1 to 35 must be used. If more than 35 players are registered, a number of 36 to 40 will be used. After the

club application, the Mexican Premier League can authorize players to use numbers other than 1-40.

In any case, without exception, a player shall not wear two different jersey numbers during the same period.

In any category of matches, the jersey number shall not be changed and shall not be used by other players of the same club during the same period unless the player transfers or is loaned to another club.

The number on the player's jersey can only be authorized to change the number on the player's jersey at a written request from the club, provided that there is a legitimate reason to authorize the change.

Therefore, except for a few players, most of the player numbers of Mo Chao are within 1-35, and the players of other numbers are adopted after Mo Chao's approval. For example, Ramos, who joined the Monterrey Club of the Mexican Super League at the beginning of this year, chose No. 93 to pay tribute to his tie goal scored at 92:48 in the 2014 Champions League final.

(Ramos chose No. 93 when joining Monterrey)

Youth Training Echelon: No. 81-410

Different from the rules of the first team, Mexico has opened up a broad digital space for the youth training system, and strictly divided the intervals by age echelon, forming a clear digital map.

2025/26 Mexican Super League Competition Rules Article 67 stipulates:

clubs U21, U19, U17, U15, U13 echelons, Liga Premier and TDP League (Liga) The player numbers of TDP must be arranged continuously starting from No. 41, and the numbers immediately after the Mexican Premier League club are assigned as follows:

Super League: No. 81 to 130

TDP League: No. 131 to 180

U21 echelon: No. 181 to 230

U19 echelon: No. 231 to 280

U17 echelon: No. 281 to 330

U15 echelon: No. 331 to 380

U13 echelon: No. 381 to 410

This can explain why the Mexican teams in the North American Cup have so many three-digit players. In fact, this division is by no means arbitrary. For fans, seeing the number can roughly determine the age and echelon level of the player; for the club, this system greatly improves the management efficiency of youth training players - without additional file query, you can quickly locate the training group and development stage of the player through the number alone.

What are the initial back numbers of Mexican players in world football?

Now there are many Mexican players playing in the five major leagues, and their initial back numbers basically follow the above number rules..

Santiago Jimenez, currently playing for AC Milan, is from the Mexican Blue Cross youth training. During his time at Blue Cross youth training, he wore No. 349, 302 and 300.

(wearing Jimenez 349, 302 and 300)

West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez is a youth training producer at the Mexican League America Club. He wore No. 281, 132 and 282 jerseys during his time at the American Club.

(Edsson Alvarez, 281, 132 and 282)

Diego Lenes, who once played for Real Betis, also came from the Mexican League Club America's youth training. During his youth training, he wore No. 340 and No. 342 jerseys.

(Diego Lenes wearing 342 and 340)

What are the player number rules for other leagues?

The five major leagues

The Premier League, Ligue 1 and Serie A both stipulate that the player numbers should be between 1-99. The difference is that Ligue 1 special regulations that No. 1 must belong to the goalkeeper, while players in other positions in the Premier League and Serie A can also choose No. 1. For example, former Naples midfielder De Guzman chose No. 1 jersey when he joined Chievo on loan in the 2016/17 season.

(D Guzman who chose No. 1 jersey)

The numbers of the three league players are relatively limited, so many players choose numbers that are more meaningful to them. Guimaraes chose No. 39 because his father drove a taxi number in Brazil with "039". Arnold wore No. 66 in his debut for Liverpool and always chose No. 66 jersey in Liverpool's first team.

The numbers of players in the Bundesliga are limited to between 1 and 49, and it is stipulated that except for the exclusive goalkeeper of No. 1, other goalkeepers can only choose No. 12-49. If the team exceeds 49 people, higher numbers can be assigned continuously, but they cannot be changed during the game.

La Liga restrictions on players are more stringent, and players can only choose No. 1-25 as their numbers and exclusive goalkeepers of No. 1 and No. 13. Therefore, after transferring to Real Madrid, Arnold had to abandon the No. 66 he wore and switch to No. 12. Similarly, Hanzko, who joined Atletico Madrid in this summer window, wore No. 33 jerseys at Feyenoord and Sparta Prague, and changed to No. 17 at Atletico Madrid.

(Arnold changed from 66 to 12)

Intercontinental matches

national team competitions (such as the World Cup, World Cup qualifiers) adopt the tightening rules of No. 1, and the number must be strictly corresponding to the registration list. This rule design fully serves the competitive needs of short-term events - the number is enough to cover the roster, and the simple range is convenient for referees and spectators to quickly identify players in the intensive schedule of the cup.

Therefore, Rice, who was originally wearing No. 41 at Arsenal, could only wear No. 4 jerseys in England, and No. 49 Skelly was also replaced with No. 21; in domestic football, Wang Yudong, who wore No. 39 jerseys in the league, wore No. 11 jerseys in the national team in the World Cup, and Liao Jintao, No. 40 of Dalian Yingbo, also changed to No. 18 of the national team in the East Asian Cup. However, since each team recruits different players, the numbers of each player are not exactly the same, but the principle 1-26 is still followed.

(The league is different from intercontinental competitions)

Why does the Mexican League adopt this encoding method?

Mexican League allows players to use No. 81-410 not to pursue mavericks, but to a precise system to support huge echelon construction and efficient player management.

For the team, if you want to bring U21, U19 or other youth training echelon players to the first team, you do not need to consider the repetition of youth training players and first team players. The coaching team and management do not need to read the lengthy files. Just a three-digit number can quickly locate the player's training level, training group and even potential evaluation stage, which greatly improves the operational efficiency of the youth training camp; for players, numbers are not only numbers, but also represent their sense of belonging to the team. The jersey number usually has a To be of great significance, many players will continue to use the back numbers of the youth training team. For Mo Chao players, the youth training team number is the starting point of their career, and the three-digit number is of great significance to them; for fans, seeing a three-digit number, especially those above No. 181, you can immediately judge that the player is a rookie who has just been promoted from the echelon, representing the future strength of the club. This gives the number a meaning beyond simple signs and becomes a digital bridge connecting the club's youth training bloodline and the first-team arena.

The youngest goal scorer in the fall and spring leagues of the Mexican Super League is Silveto Mora from Tijuana Club. He was promoted to the first team wearing the No. 251 jersey in the 2024/25 season and scored his first goal against Leon on August 31, 2024. He was 15 years and 10 months old. At the same time, he followed the Mexican national team to win the North American Gold Cup in July this year, becoming the youngest international championship player in history. There was news that Barcelona invited him to come for a trial.

(Silveto Mora wearing No. 251)

From No. 1 to No. 302, the choice of football back number is an interweaving of rules, traditions, pragmatism and personal will. Regardless of the size of the number, its core function is always to identify the player's identity, but when a certain number is bound to a legendary player, classic moments or unique personality, it transcends the simple serial number and becomes a cultural symbol full of story on the green field.

Understanding the rules logic and cultural codes behind these numbers will undoubtedly allow us to appreciate the rich levels of the football world more deeply. The next time we see a player wearing an unconventional large number appear, we see not only a number, but also a unique annotation of the club's lineup structure, league registration rules and even regional football culture.