Transfer spending smashes £10bn barrier as global football market hits all-time high
FIFA's Global Transfer Report reveals record-breaking year for football transfers with English clubs leading spending while women's football sees 80% investment growth
Football’s money machine has gone proper mental with international transfers hitting unprecedented levels across men’s and women’s football, both professional and amateur.
Record-breaking numbers across the board
For the first time in football history, club spending on transfers has crashed through the $10 billion barrier, reaching a staggering $13.11 billion in 2025. That’s more than 50% higher than 2024’s figures and 35.6% above the previous record set in 2023.
A total of 86,158 international transfers were registered across men’s and women’s football at both professional and amateur levels – another all-time high that shows the game’s global reach is expanding at a dizzying pace.
English clubs splashing the cash (again)
To no one’s surprise, English clubs continue to dominate the spending charts:
- Top spenders globally with $3.82 billion outlay on new signings
- Also top earners, raking in $1.77 billion from player sales and loans
- Classic Premier League – spending bread like it’s going out of fashion
While the English were throwing money around like confetti, Brazilian clubs led the way in sheer transfer volume, bringing in 1,190 players and shipping out 1,005 through sales and loans.
The market’s getting broader too, with a record 1,214 clubs investing in transfers and 1,495 clubs earning transfer revenue – both all-time highs.
Women’s football investment skyrockets
The women’s game continues its remarkable growth trajectory, with transfer spending reaching an unprecedented $28.6 million – a massive 80% increase on the previous year’s figures.
The professional women’s transfer market saw:
- 756 clubs participating in international transfers (+8.3%)
- 135 clubs investing in at least one signing (+23.9%)
- 155 clubs receiving transfer compensation (+25%)
- 2,440 international transfers of professional female players (+6.3%)
Amateur transfers boom globally
Even the amateur game is seeing massive movement, with 59,162 amateur players transferring to foreign clubs – up 9.4% from last year and another record high. Germany remains the most popular destination, bringing in 7,041 amateur players in 2025.
Perhaps most impressively, 209 of FIFA’s 211 member federations participated in at least one amateur transfer last year – showing football truly is the global game, reaching every corner of the planet.
The full report also includes detailed analysis of transfer costs, player characteristics, and for the first time, a section dedicated to player trials – those brief training periods clubs use to assess potential signings.