The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has launched legal proceedings against the English Football League (EFL) over new salary cap rules being introduced in League One for the 2026-27 season. The dispute centres on Squad Cost Rules (SCR), which will replace the existing Profitability and Sustainability framework, with the PFA arguing that clubs voted through the changes without the full agreement required from the Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee, of which the PFA is a member alongside the FA and Premier League.

Under the new rules, League One clubs' permitted spending on wages as a share of turnover will fall from 60% to 50%, while clubs relegated from the Championship will see their first-season allowance cut from 75% to 65%. Manager pay is now included within the cap, and owner cash injections can only fund wages up to 50%. The EFL says it "did not accept" the PFA's position and insists the rules aim to improve financial sustainability rather than undermine players, while a similar attempt to impose salary caps in League One and League Two was withdrawn in 2021 after an arbitration panel ruled the plan unlawful.