Did América cheat with 10 foreign players? The registration that sparked the controversy
Mohamed questioned the Águilas after the draw with Toluca. Ícaro's case and the squad moves explain how they reached ten players used with a limit of nine spots.
Antonio Mohamed opened another front against América after the 2-2 draw on October 31: he questioned the Águilas for using ten foreign players during the 2026 Apertura, when the rules allow nine registrations of players not developed in Mexico.
“What's controversial is that América have 10 foreign players.”
“What's controversial is that América have 10 foreign players,” the Toluca coach said. His complaint pointed especially at Ícaro da Conceição, who moved from the first team to the U-21 squad.
The number stands out, but it has an explanation: the limit of nine refers to the registrations a club can hold at the same time. Adding up every player who has had minutes since the start of the tournament gives a different count.
Ícaro's case and the departures
Ícaro started the season with the first team, played six games and scored one goal. He then left that registration and was entered in the U-21 squad, while América reshuffled their spots to bring in reinforcements such as Santiago Bueno and Santiago Ramos Mingo.
Sebastián Cáceres also left, sold to Celta Vigo once the tournament had started. His minutes still show up in the Apertura totals, even though his squad spot was freed up.
The ten names
That completes the list of ten: eight in the current squad and two who played before those changes.
The ten foreign players América have used in the 2026 Apertura.
| Player | Status |
|---|---|
| Brian Rodríguez | Current squad |
| Cristian Borja | Current squad |
| Miguel Borja | Current squad |
| Raphael Veiga | Current squad |
| Santiago Bueno | Current squad |
| Santiago Ramos Mingo | Current squad |
| Óscar Perea | Current squad |
| Carlos Álvarez | Current squad |
| Sebastián Cáceres | Sold to Celta Vigo |
| Ícaro da Conceição | Registered with the U-21s |
What the rules say
Moving a player to the youth ranks doesn't create a tenth spot for the first team either. Article 8 of Appendix I allows a non-Mexican-developed U-21 player to take part through a Single Registration Card, but he must also count within the maximum of nine. With eight registered directly, there is room for one under that mechanism.
Mohamed's count adds up everyone who passed through the team. Proving an irregularity takes more: showing that América exceeded the permitted registrations or broke the lineup conditions. Ten names spread across the tournament do not, on their own, prove cheating.
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