Clubs completed a record 24,558 international men’s transfers in 2025, with total spending rising to US$13.08 billion (NZ$21.66b), FIFA said in its Global Transfer Report.
The figure marks a more than 7% increase from 2024 and the highest volume of international men’s transfers ever recorded.
Across all levels of football — men’s, women’s, and amateur — FIFA reported 86,158 international transfers in 2025, another all-time high.
Among the most expensive deals was Florian Wirtz’s move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool for a guaranteed £100m plus £16m in potential bonuses. Other headline men’s transfers included Hugo Ekitike, Jhon Duran, Benjamin Sesko, and Nick Woltemade.
Women’s football also saw growth, with 2,440 international transfers, a 6% rise from 2024, and spending hitting US$28.6m, up 80% from the previous year. A standout deal was Lizbeth Ovalle’s record US$1.5m transfer to Orlando Pride.
Amateur football transfers also reached a record, with 59,162 players moving abroad, up 9.4% from 2024.
FIFA’s figures underline the continued growth of the global transfer market across men’s, women’s, and amateur football.