FIFA Men’s football: Transfer fees hit record $13bn

By Elegbede Abiodun

Clubs from England were once again both the number-one spender and the number-one recipient of transfer fees.

International transfer fees in men’s football hit a record $13.08 billion (10.9 billion euros) in 2025, world football’s governing body said on Wednesday.

FIFA said in its annual Global Transfer Market report that there was an all-time record of 86,158 international transfers completed in 2025.

Women’s football accounted for 2,440 transfers (+6.3%) and total spending of $28.6 million, a year-on-year increase of more than 80%.

The joint transfer total from men and women’s football, professional and amateur, of $13.11 billion represents more than 50% above the spending in 2024 and 35.6% higher than the previous record, set in 2023.

In men’s professional football, clubs from England were once again both the number-one spender and the number-one recipient of transfer fees, with $3.82 billion spent on incoming transfers and $1.77b received for outgoing transfers in 2025.

Brazilian clubs led the way in terms of the total number of transfers, with 1,190 incoming and 1,005 outgoing transfers.

French players were those for whom clubs shelled out the most ($1.67b), followed by Brazilians ($1.21b).

The three biggest spending clubs were Premier League outfits Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

City take top spot from current Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, who now do not figure in a top 20 dominated by 11 English clubs.

AFP