Football clubs around the world shattered the record for spending on international transfers during the 2026 summer window, with more than $9.89 billion changing hands in men’s football, FIFA has reported.
The latest figures from FIFA’s International Transfer Snapshot showed that more than 12,500 international transfers were completed between June and September, surpassing the previous record of 11,863 transfers recorded a year earlier.
English clubs emerged as the biggest spenders, splashing more than $3.02 billion on players arriving from foreign clubs.
The figure is separate from the higher £3.49 billion ($4.7 billion) reportedly spent across the Premier League, which also includes transfers between English clubs.
Italy followed England with about $1.1 billion in spending, while clubs in Spain, Germany and France spent approximately $940 million, $904 million and $641 million respectively.
While English clubs led the spending table, French clubs recorded the highest transfer income, earning about $1.7 billion from player sales.
English clubs ranked second with $1.43 billion in transfer income, followed by Germany with $1.02 billion, Spain with $773 million and Portugal with $642 million.
The record spending came in a transfer window heavily influenced by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with players who featured at the tournament accounting for more than $3.3 billion in transfer fees.
In total, 267 World Cup players from 47 nationalities moved to new clubs between June and September.
Women’s football also breaks records
Women’s football also recorded unprecedented activity during the window.
FIFA said 1,406 international transfers were completed in the women’s professional game, representing a 19.2 per cent increase on the previous record.
Spending on international transfer fees more than doubled compared with the corresponding period in 2025, reaching a new high of $28.6 million.
English clubs were again the biggest spenders in women’s football, investing $8 million, ahead of Spain ($6.6 million), Germany ($4.9 million), the United States ($2.9 million) and Italy ($2.1 million).
Swedish clubs received the highest transfer income in the women’s game at $4.2 million, narrowly ahead of England’s $4 million, while clubs in France and Germany each generated $3.6 million.
The record figures underline the growing financial scale of the global transfer market, with clubs continuing to spend heavily to strengthen their squads while players who impressed on the world stage command increasingly higher fees and wages.