Fifa: Number of international transfer deals reached record high in 2024

There were a record number of international transfers in 2024, a report published by world football’s governing body Fifa has revealed.

A total of 78,742 cross-border transfers went through across the professional and amateur game.

The 22,779 transfers in men’s professional football saw £6.89bn ($8.59bn) spent on transfer fees as players moved between clubs in different countries – the second highest amount ever.

The record amount of money spent on international transfers in a year remains the £7.6bn ($9.66bn) from 2023.

In the women’s professional game in 2024 there were 2,284 transfers, an increase of 20.8%, and total spending of £12.5m ($15.6m) – more than double the amount in 2023.

English clubs were both the highest spenders and recipients of transfer fees in 2024, with £1.51bn ($1.88bn) spent on transfers and £1.07bn ($1.34bn) received.

In the amateur game – both men’s and women’s – there were 53,679 cross-border transfers, a rise of 4.3% year on year and also a new record.

Fifa’s Global Transfer Report 2024 has an interactive website, external which contains detailed transfer data and trends for each national association.

Almost 40% of all transfer spending in the men’s game was accounted for by the top 2.5% deals, which included fees of at least £16m ($20m) per transfer.

Brazilian clubs had the highest number of transfers with 1,102 incoming and 1,113 outgoing.

The number of clubs that spent money on incoming transfers continued to grow, reaching a record high of 1,100 in 2024.

And the number of clubs that received a fee for at least one outgoing transfer climbed to 1,378, also a new record.