GlobalTransferReport2025

JANUARY2026

Contents

.

1

Foreword4

2.

Men’sprofessionalfootball6

2.1Globaloverview7

2.2Transferfeesandtypes9

2.2.1Transferfees9

2.2.2Sell-onfees11

2.3Toptransfers13

2.4Playersandcontracts14

2.4.1Playerage14

2.4.2Trials16

2.4.3Contractdurationandplayersalaries18

2.4.4Playernationalities20

2.5Geographicaloverview22

2.5.1Transfersbyconfederation22

2.5.2Transfersbyassociation24

2.6Clubcharacteristics29

2.6.1Topspendingclubsin202531

3.

Women’sprofessionalfootball34

3.1Globaloverview35

3.2Transferfeesandtransfertypes37

3.2.1Transferfees37

3.2.2Sell-onfees38

3.3Toptransfers40

3.4Playersandcontracts41

3.4.1Playerage41

3.4.2Contractdurationandplayersalaries42

3.4.3Playernationalities44

3.5Geographicaloverview46

3.5.1Transfersbyconfederation46

3.5.2Transfersbyassociation48

3.6Clubcharacteristics52

3.6.1Topspendingclubsin202553

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GlobalTransferReport2025

3

4.

Amateurfootball54

4.1Globaloverview55

4.2Players56

4.2.1Playerage56

4.2.2Playernationalities57

4.3Geographicaloverview58

4.3.1Transfersbyconfederation58

4.3.2Transfersbyassociation59

4.4Clubcharacteristics62

Definitions63

Methodology67

Disclaimer68

GlobalTransferReport2025

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1.

GlobalTransferReport2025

Foreword

1.Foreword

ManyofFIFA’sactivitiescentrearoundtheinternationaltransfersystem,whichremainsoneofthecornerstonesoftheglobalfootballecosystem.Withthisreport,weagainshedlightonthekeyfactorsshapingthissystem.Weanalysetheoverallnumberoftransfers,transferfeespaid,durationsofcontracts,playerageandgeographicaloverviews–asalways,bothformen’sandwomen’sfootball.

FIFAisproudtobecloselyengagedwithallfootballstakeholdersintheshapingoftheinternationaltransfersystem.Weremaincommittedtoensuringthatourregulatoryframeworkremainsrobust,transparent,effectiveandproportionatetomeettheever-evolvingdemandsofthefootballindustry.

Thepastyearsaw,inparticular,theentryintoforceoftheInterimRegulatoryFramework,whichfocusedontheaimtoprovideclarityandstabilitywithintheglobaltransfersystemaftertherulingoftheCourtofJusticeoftheEuropeanUnionintheso-called“Diarracase”.Thenumbersreflectedinthisreportdemonstratethatthisgoalhasbeenoverwhelminglyachieved.FIFAisnowpushingaheadwiththeconsultationprocessonchangestotheRegulationsontheStatusandTransferofPlayers,withtheaimofreachingaconsensusonlong-termamendments,balancingandprotectingthelegitimateinterestsofplayers,clubsandallstakeholdersinvolved.

Mostrecently,atitsmeetingof17December2025,theFIFACouncilalsoapprovedvariousamendmentstotheProceduralRulesGoverningtheFootballTribunal(ProceduralRules)andtotheFIFAClearingHouseRegulations(FCHR).

InsofarastheProceduralRulesareconcerned,theamendmentsaremostlyofatechnicalnature,andtheylargelyaimtocodifyexistingjurisprudenceoftheFIFAFootballTribunalandtofurtherclarifyexistingprocedures.IntermsoftheFCHR,athresholdofEUR100hasbeenintroduced,belowwhichentitlementstotrainingrewardswillbeconsidereddiscardedandwillnolongerbeincludedinanallocationstatement.ThismeasureisintendedtoincreasetheefficiencyofallFIFAClearingHouseprocesses,againforthebenefitofallstakeholdersinvolved.

Lookingahead,FIFAwillcontinuetoupholditsunwaveringcommitmenttocontinuouslymodernisingtheglobaltransfersystemforthegoodofallthosewhoareinvolvedinthewonderfulsportoffootball.

JanKleiner

DirectorFootballRegulatory

EmilioGarcíaSilvero

FIFAChiefLegal&ComplianceOfficer

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GlobalTransferReport2025

2.

Men’sprofessionalfootball

6

GlobalTransferReport2025

2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

2.1Globaloverview

Globalspendingoninternationaltransferfeessurgedtoanall-timehighofUSD13.08billionin2025,a52.3%increasecomparedtotheUSD8.59billionspentin2024.Onceagain,arecordnumberofclubswereinvolvedintransfers:

1,214clubspaidtransferfees,while1,495clubsreceivedafeeforatleastoneoutgoingplayer.

Internationaltransferactivityalsogrewagain,with24,558transferscompletedin2025–anincreaseof7.7%overthepreviousrecord,setin2024.Intotal,5,283clubsworldwidewereinvolvedinthesetransfers.Althoughmosttransfersarestillcompletedwithoutafee,theproportionoftransferswithfeesclimbedtoarecord17.7%in2025.

Transferfees(USD)ClubsreceivingtransferfeesClubsspendingontransferfees

13.08bn

9.66bn

8.59bn

7.33bn

1,088

938

2019

6.45bn

1,163

953

2022

6.30bn

976

837

2017

6.93bn

1,495

1,214

5.66bn

4.87bn967

838

2021

4.71bn

1,379

1,099

1,244

955

850

2020

1,003

881

1,026

770

2016

839

2018

2024

2025

2023

Figure1:Developmentofspendingontransferfeesandnumberofclubswithfees

TransferswithoutfeesTransferswithfees——Clubsinvolvedintransfers

24,558

22,794

20,370

16.2%

14.0%

14.9%

14.4%

5,126

4,126

3,595

2016201720182019202020212022202320242025

15,662

15.0%

3,787

18,137

12.3%

4,534

17,189

13.2%

4,146

21,818

15.1%

14,636

13.8%

16,550

18,081

4,983

3,933

5,283

4,796

17.7%

Figure2:Developmentofnumberoftransfersandnumberofclubsinvolved

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GlobalTransferReport2025

2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

Clubsaregenerallyonlypermittedtoregisternewplayersduringtworegistrationperiodssetbytheirassociation.Oneperiodistypicallyatthestartoftheyear,withthesecondaroundthemiddle.Thisstructureisreflectedinboththevolumeoftransfersandtransferfeeexpenditurethroughouttheyear,whichdisplaytwodistinctpeaksthatcorrespondtothesewindows.Themid-yearwindowisparticularlynotablefortransferfees,asspendingpeaksmoresharplythanthenumberoftransfers,resultinginthehighestaveragefeepertransferoccurringinthemiddleoftheyear.

NumberoftransfersValueoftransferfees

32.4%

24.8%

23.2%

20.2%

13.4%

19.2%

13.0%

12.5%

11.0%

8.0%

4.4%

7.9%

0.8%

0.5%

0.7%

0.1%

2.3%

0.4%

3.8%

0.5%

0.3%

0.4%

0.1%

0.0%

Sep

Oct

Mar

Feb

Jan

May

Apr

Nov

Jun

Dec

JulAug

Figure3:Distributionofnumberoftransfersandspendingontransferfeesacrosstheyearin2025

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

2.2Transferfeesandtypes

2.2.1Transferfees

Inthemajorityoftransfersconcludedin2025,thetransferfeewasbelowUSD500,000.Althoughthesedealsrepresented56.5%ofalltransferswithfees,theyaccountedforjust2.9%ofthetotalspendingontransferfees.Incontrast,thesmallnumberoftransfersinvolvingfeesexceedingUSD20million–only3.8%ofalltransfers–wasresponsiblefornearlyhalfofallglobaltransferspendingin2025.

Numberoftransferswithfees——Valueoftransferfees

56.5%

48.5%

30.5%

19.7%

9.1%

15.5%3.8%

>0-500k>500k-1m>1m-5m>5m-20m>20m

Transferfeerange(USD)

10.9%

2.6%

2.9%

Figure4:Distributionofnumberoftransferswithfeesandvalueoftransferfeesbysizeofthetransferfees(2025)

Mosttransferfeesin2025wereagreedasfixedamounts,totallingUSD10.88billionandaccountingfor83.1%overall.ConditionalfeesmadeupanadditionalUSD2.10billion(16.0%ofthetotal).Theremaining0.8%offeesresultedfromtheactivationofrelease(buy-out)clausesinplayers’contractswiththeirformerclubs.

Release(buy-out)fees

0.11bn

Conditionalfees2.10bn

0.8%

16.0%

83.1%

Fixedfees

10.88bn

Figure5:TransferfeesinUSDbytype(2025)

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

Over60%ofalltransfersinvolvedplayerswhowereoutofcontract,andthesemovesgenerallydidnotrequireatransferfee.Themainexceptionoccurswhenaplayer’spreviouscontractisendedthroughthepaymentofarelease(buy-out)fee.Inpractice,theoverwhelmingmajorityoftransferfees(94.6%)werepaidinpermanenttransfersthatrequireaformalagreementbetweenthesellingandbuyingclubs.Althoughthesetransfersaccountedforonly18.5%ofallmovesin2025,theytypicallyattractthegreatestmediaattention.

GlobalTransferReport2025

Valueoftransferfees(in%oftotal)Numberoftransfers(in%oftotal)

0.8%

62

.5%

94.6%

18.5%

%

4.6%

11.4

0.0%

7.5%

Returnfromloan

Outofcontract

Permanent

Loan

Figure6:Distributionofnumberoftransfersandvalueoftransferfeesbytransfertype(2025)

2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

2.2.2Sell-onfees

Inbothpermanenttransfersandloans,thetwoclubsinvolvedmayagreeonasell-onfee,whichgrantstheformerclubapercentageofafuturetransferfeeiftheplayermovesontoathirdclub.Theuseofsell-onfeeshasgrownsteadilyinrecentyears,andtherewere3,841suchtransfersin2025,representingjustoverhalfofallpermanenttransfersandloanscompletedduringtheyear.

Numberoftransferswithsell-onfeePercentageoftransferswithsell-onfee*

3,841

3,204

2,731

2,235

1,697

1,644

37.1%

49.2%

1,584

33.3%

45.7%

52.2%

1,401

1,176

28.8%

2017

42.1%

34.7%

906

32.6%

24.4%

2018

2021

2020

2022

2023

2024

2019

2025

2016

Figure7:Developmentofnumberandpercentageoftransfersincludingasell-onfee

In2025,theaveragesell-onfeeagreedbetweenclubswas21.5%,aslightdecreasefromthe22.2%recordedin2024.Althoughmostsell-onfeesfellwithinthe10-20%range,someexceeded60%ofapotentialfuturefee.

Numberoftransfers

1,480

1,121

846

357

37

>10%-20%>20%-40%>40%-60%

Sell-onfeerange

>0%-10%

>60%

Figure8:Distributionoftransfersbysizeofthesell-onfee(2025)

*Therelativesharereferstoalltransfersexcludingtransfersoutofcontractandreturnsfromloansastheycannotincludesell-onfees.

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

Sell-onfeesarefarmorecommonintransfersofyoungerplayersandbecomelesscommonasplayersgetolder.In2025,almost75%ofalltransfersinvolvingplayersyoungerthan18includedasell-onfee,comparedtoonly18.2%forplayersaged30andover.However,thisstillrepresentsaslightincreasefrom2024,whenonly15.6%ofalltransfersinvolvingplayersaged30andoverincludedasell-onfee.

Percentageoftransferswithsell-onfee

74.5%

57.7%

45.8%

18.2%

24-29

Playerage(years)

18-23

≥30

<18

Figure9:Percentageoftransfersincludingasell-onfeebyplayerage(2025)

Sell-onfeesaremorecommonintransfersthatalsoinvolvearegulartransferfee–whetherfixed,conditionalorpaidthrougharelease(buy-out)fee.Ingeneral,thelikelihoodofatransferincludingasell-onfeeincreasesasthetransferfeeincreases(asillustratedbythedarkbluelineinFigure10).Theonlyexceptiontothispatternin2025wasfortransferswithfeesexceedingUSD20million.Notably,althoughhigher-valuetransfersaremorelikelytofeatureasell-onfee,thepercentageagreedtendstodeclineastransferfeesincrease(asillustratedbythelightbluelineinFigure10).In2025,thehighestaveragesell-onfeewasrecordedintransferswithoutanupfronttransferfee,at27.5%ofafuturefee,whiletransfersvaluedaboveUSD20millionhadthelowestaveragesell-onfeeat13.5%.

%oftransferswithsell-onfee——Averagesell-onfee

66.7%

36.1%

20.5%27.5%

Nofee>0-500k>500k-1m>1m-5m>5m-20m>20m

Transferfeerange(USD)

68.6%56.6%

19.2%

71.4%

18.8%

16.0%13.5%

80.9%

Figure10:Percentageoftransfersincludingasell-onfeeandaveragesizeofthesell-onfeegroupedbysizeoftheregulartransferfeeintheunderlyingtransfer(2025)

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

2.3Toptransfers

Thetablebelowshowsthefivebiggestinternationaltransfersof2025.

BayerLeverkusen

(Germany)

Eintracht

Frankfurt(Germany)

RBLeipzig

(Germany)

VfBStuttgart

(Germany)

RealSociedad(Spain)

FlorianWirtz

(Germany)

HugoEkitike

(France)

Benjamin?e?ko

(Slovenia)

NickWoltemade

(Germany)

MartínZubimendi

(Spain)

Arsenil

L.C.

上

L.C.

Liverpool(England)

Liverpool(England)

ManchesterUnited

(England)

NewcastleUnited

(England)

Arsenal

(England)

Figure11:Topfiveinternationaltransfersbysizeofthetransferfee(2025)

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

2.4Playersandcontracts

2.4.1Playerage

Playersaged18-23wereinvolvedinthemostinternationaltransfers(10,612)in2025,and22.5%ofthesetransferswerewithatransferfee,whichhighlightsclubs’focusonacquiringyoungerplayerswithdevelopmentpotential.Peaktransfervalues,however,wereobservedatalaterstage,asplayersaged24-29commandedthehighestaveragetransferfee,namelyUSD3.3million.Thistrendindicatesthatclubsarewillingtopayapremiumforplayerswhoareeitherenteringoralreadyattheircompetitivepeakratherthaninvestingsolelyinfuturepotential.Incontrast,therewasamarkeddeclineinboththenumberoftransfersinvolvingplayersaged30andoverandthevalueofthetransferfeesinvolved,reflectingareducedwillingnessfromclubstoinvestsignificantlyinolderplayers.

Numberoftransfers

TransferswithoutfeesTransferswithfees——Averagetransferfee(USD)

10,612

9,816

22.5%

16.3%

3.0m

3.3m

2.0m

3,871

604k

259

<1818-2324-29≥30

Playerage(years)

47.9%

6.3%

Figure12:Numberoftransfersandaveragetransferfeebyplayerage(2025)

Overall,thisagedistributionpointstoamorevolume-drivenapproachforplayersaged18-23focusedondevelopmentandfuturetalent,andamorevalue-drivenapproachforplayersaged24-29aimedatsecuringimmediatesportingimpactwithhighervalueplayers.

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

Aninterestingeffectofplayers’relativeagecanbeobservedinthedistributionofinternationaltransfersacrosstheplayers’monthofbirth.While12.1%ofalltransfersinthepasttenyearsfrom2016to2025involvedplayersborninthefirstmonthoftheyear,thissharedecreasestowardstheendoftheyear,withlessthan7%ofalltransfersinvolvingplayersborninDecember.Asnotedinthepreviouseditionofthisreport,thereareregionaldifferencesinthiseffectdependingonthelocalrulesbasedonwhichyoungplayersareplacedintodifferentcohorts.

Thiseffectalsoprevailsamongthemosteliteplayers.ForbothtransferswithfeesofmorethanUSD10million(representingthetop1%oftransferfees)andtransfersinvolvingyearlytotalfixedremunerationofmorethanUSD1million(representingthetop5%oftransfersbyplayerremuneration),thepictureisverysimilar.TheshareoftransfersofplayersborninJanuarystandsataround11.5%forbothofthesecategories,anddropstoaround6.5%forplayersborninDecember.

%ofinternationaltransfers

——Alltransfers——Transferswithfees>USD10m——Transferswithyearlytotal

fixedremuneration>USD1m

15%

10%

5%

0%

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Player'smonthofbirth

Figure13:Distributionofinternationaltransfers(2016-2025)byplayer’smonthofbirth

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

2.4.2Trials

Trialsplayanimportantroleinfootball,servingasshortevaluationperiodswithoutformalremuneration,duringwhichclubscanassessaplayer’sskillsandoverallpotential,andplayerscanshowcasetheirabilities.Typically,atrialinvolvesaplayertrainingwithaclubforadefinedperiodoftime–sometimesparticipatinginfriendlymatches–sothattheclubcandecidewhethertopursuetheplayerfurther,whichmayincluderegistration,offeringacontract,orotherstepsdependingontheplayer’sdevelopment.Formanyyoungplayers,atrialcanopenthedoortoorganisedfootball,whileforexperiencedplayersitprovidesanopportunitytoexplorenewpathwaysandadvancetheircareers.

Giventhattrialscaninvolvemovementbetweenclubs–includinginternationally–inNovember2022,FIFAintroducedadedicatedframeworkwithintheFIFARegulationsontheStatusandTransferofPlayers(RSTP)supportedbytheTransferMatchingSystem(TMS).Thisframeworkensuresthattrialsareproperlydocumented,withagreedconditionssuchasduration,expenses(includingmeals,accommodation,travelandothers)andsafeguardingmeasures,particularlyforminors.Withouttheseprotections,trialscouldexposeyoungplayerstoexploitationormistreatment.Bycombiningtransparency,accountabilityandrobuststandards,footballcanmaintaintrialsasafairandpositivemechanismfortalentidentificationandcareerdevelopment.

Toreinforcetheseprotections,theregulationssetclearlimitsonthedurationoftrialstopreventabuseandprovidecertaintyforboththeplayerandclub.Playersaged21oryoungermaybeontrialforamaximumofeightweeksperclubinanyoneseason,whileplayersover21arelimitedtothreeweeksperclubperseason.Theseweeksdonotneedtobeconsecutiveandcanbesplitacrosstheseasonoftheinvitingclub.

Forinternationaltrialsinvolvingminors,additionalsafeguardsapply:trialsareonlypermittedfromtheseasoninwhichtheplayerturns16(or15ifboththeplayerandclubaredomiciledinEurope),andwrittenparentalconsentismandatory.Thesemeasuresensurethattrialsremainstructured,time-boundandprotectiveofyoungplayers’welfare.

Thenumberofconfirmedtrialsperyearhasincreasedinrecentyears,from1,584in2023to2,366in2025.Forthesakeofcompleteness,thedatareportedinthissubsectionincludestrialsinbothmen’sandwomen’sfootball.In2025,6.1%ofthe2,366trialsinvolvedfemaleplayers.Bywayofcomparison,theshareofinternationaltransfersinwomen’sprofessionalfootballwas9.0%ofthetotalinmen’sandwomen’sprofessionalfootballcombined.

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GlobalTransferReport2025

2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

Almosthalfoftheplayerswhowentonatrialin2025wereregisteredatanotherclubasamateursduringthetrialperiod.Theremainingtrialsweresplitintoroughlyequalpartsbetweenplayersregisteredasprofessionalswithanotherclubandplayerswhowerenotregisteredwithanotherclubatall.Withanaveragedurationof31.4days,trialsofprofessionalplayerswerealsothelongestcomparedtothoseofnon-registeredandamateurplayers(11.2and17.9days,respectively).

2,366

2,231

Notregistered

withanothercluborMA

1,584

27.0%

45.8%

1,084

Professional642

27.1%

202320242025Numberoftrials

Amateur

640

Figure14:Developmentofconfirmedtrialssince2023anddistributionoftrialsbyplayerstatusattheformerclub(2025)

Unsurprisingly,trialsareparticularlycommonforyoungerplayerswhoareattheonsetoftheirfootballcareers.Playersaged18orbelowcomprisedmorethan80%ofalltriallistsin2025.Olderplayersgoontrialsmuchlessfrequently,withthoseolderthan25onlymakingupalittleover2%ofalltrials.ClubsfromItalycompletedthehighestnumberoftrialsin2025withatotalof717,followedbyEngland(452),Germany(165),Spain(148)andDenmark(146).ThreeofthetopfiveplayernationalitiesrepresentedintrialswereEuropean(British(221),French(151),Irish(128))andtheremainingtwowereAfrican(Ivorian(116),Ghanaian(104)).

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

2.4.3Contractdurationandplayersalaries

In2025,theaveragecontractlengthforinternationaltransferswas19.5months.1However,therewaswidevariationintermsofduration,withcontractsrangingfromlessthansixmonths(16.1%ofalltransfersin2025)tomorethanfouryears(4.9%).Over60%ofallcontractsfellsomewherebetweensixand24months.

AsillustratedinFigure16,youngerplayersgenerallyreceivelonger-termcontracts,whileolderplayerstendtobeofferedshortercontracts.

Percentageoftransfers

36.1%

24.0%

16.1%

11.5%

7.4%

4.9%

>0-6months>6-12months>1-2years>2-3years>3-4years>4years

Contractduration

Figure15:Distributionofcontractdurationininternationaltransfers(2025)

Averagecontractduration(months)

35.8

23.3

18.3

13.2

<1818-2324-29≥30

Playerage(years)

Figure16:Averagecontractduration(inmonths)byplayerage(2025)

1Allstatisticsregardingcontractdurationsandplayersalariesareexcludingloansandreturnsfromloans.

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2.Men'sprofessionalfootball

Aplayer’stotalfixedremunerationrepresentstheoverallfixedamountthattheywillreceiveoverthedurationoftheirnewemploymentcontract,asrecordedinTMS.Thisincludessalaries,sign-onfeesandanyotherpaymentsthatarecontractuallyguaranteedbythenewclub,butexcludesconditionalcompensationsuchasperformance-relatedbonuses.

Theyearlytotalfixedremunerationreflectstheaverageannualamountthataplayerwillearnbasedonthecontract’slength.In2025,themedianyearlytotalfixedremunerationwasjustunderUSD29,