Football clubs spent a record $9.89bn on international transfer fees in men’s football during this summer’s transfer window, FIFA has reported.
FIFA’s latest International Transfer Snapshot showed that more than 12,500 international transfers were completed worldwide, also setting a new record and surpassing the 11,863 recorded during the same period last year.
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English clubs were the biggest spenders, paying more than $3.02bn in fees to sign players from overseas clubs.
The figure is lower than the record £3.49bn ($4.7bn) spent by Premier League clubs overall, according to British media reports, because that total also includes transfers between English clubs.
Italy ranked second for international spending with $1.1bn, followed by Spain with $940m, Germany with $904m and France with $641m.
French clubs generated the highest income from international transfers, receiving $1.7bn in fees. English clubs earned $1.43bn, followed by Germany with $1.02bn, Spain with $773m and Portugal with $642m.
FIFA said the 2026 World Cup had a major influence on transfer activity, with players who appeared at the tournament accounting for more than $3.3bn in transfer fees.
A total of 267 World Cup players representing 47 nationalities changed clubs between June and September.
Women’s football also recorded its strongest transfer window on record.
FIFA reported 1,406 international transfers in the women’s professional game, an increase of 19.2% from the previous record. Spending on international transfer fees more than doubled compared with the corresponding 2025 window, reaching an all-time high of $28.6m.
English clubs led spending in women’s football with $8m, ahead of Spain with $6.6m, Germany with $4.9m, the United States with $2.9m and Italy with $2.1m.
Swedish clubs received the highest value of international transfer fees at $4.2m, narrowly ahead of England with $4m. Clubs in France and Germany each collected $3.6m.
The figures highlight the continued growth of the global transfer market, with record levels of spending and international activity across both men’s and women’s football.