International football transfer activity reached unprecedented levels in 2025, with men’s football recording a historic surge in spending, according to figures released by FIFA on Wednesday.
In its annual Global Transfer Market Report, the world football governing body disclosed that international transfer fees in the men’s game climbed to a record $13.08 billion (€10.9 billion) over the year. FIFA also revealed that a total of 86,158 international transfers were completed across the men’s game in 2025, marking the highest number ever recorded.
When combined with women’s football, overall spending on international transfers stood at $13.11 billion, representing an increase of more than 50 per cent compared to 2024 and 35.6 per cent above the previous record set in 2023.
Women’s football also recorded notable growth during the period. FIFA reported that 2,440 international transfers were completed in the women’s game, a 6.3 per cent rise from the previous year. Total spending reached $28.6 million, reflecting a year-on-year increase of more than 80 per cent and underscoring the continued expansion of the women’s transfer market.
In the men’s professional category, English clubs once again dominated the global transfer landscape. Teams from England emerged as both the biggest spenders and the largest recipients of transfer fees, spending a combined $3.82 billion on incoming players while receiving $1.77 billion from outgoing transfers during the year.
Brazilian clubs topped the chart in terms of transfer volume, recording the highest number of international deals, with 1,190 incoming transfers and 1,005 outgoing moves.
The report further showed that French players attracted the highest cumulative transfer fees, with clubs spending $1.67 billion on footballers from France. Brazilian players followed closely, accounting for $1.21 billion in transfer spending.
At club level, Premier League sides Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea emerged as the biggest spenders in the global transfer market. Manchester City reclaimed the top position from Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning UEFA Champions League winners, who dropped out of the top 20 spending clubs. The list of the top 20 spenders was heavily dominated by English teams, with 11 Premier League clubs featuring.
FIFA said the figures highlight the growing financial scale of the global football transfer system, driven largely by strong activity in Europe’s top leagues and increasing momentum in women’s football worldwide.
