January 31 – With the current player transfer window set to close next week, FIFA has released its 2024 FIFA Global Transfer Report that highlights a staggering volume of player movement across world football.
The report shows that a record 78,742 international player transfers were completed in 2024 across men’s and women’s professional and amateur football. However, while the volume of deals continues to rise, total spending on transfer fees dipped slightly from 2023’s all-time high of $9.66 billion to $8.59 billion.
That still represents a figure 15% higher than the previous record set in 2019, reinforcing football’s relentless transfer fee growth, though there may be a slight hangover from 2023’s heavy-handed spending.
English clubs once again lead the way in both spending and earnings, shelling out $1.88 billion on incoming players—more than any other country—while also bringing in $1.34 billion from outgoing transfers.
The game’s financial divide remains as stark as ever. At the sharp end of the market, elite clubs continued to drive spending. Deals worth over $20 million made up just 2.5% of all deals, though accounted for almost 40% of total spending.
Brazilian clubs, meanwhile, topped the charts for activity, recording over 1,100 incoming and outgoing transfers, underlining the country’s status as a major hub of player movement.
If the men’s market showed signs of plateauing, the women’s game is only just warming up. Total transfer spending in women’s football reached a record $15.6 million – a 2.5-fold increase from the previous year.
The volume of international moves also soared. A total of 2,284 transfers were recorded in 2024, marking a 20.8% rise compared to 2023. Remarkably, this is the sixth consecutive year that international transfers in women’s football have grown by more than 20% per year, highlighting the sport’s accelerating professionalisation.
The data shows that a record 53,678 amateur players switched clubs across borders, with Germany welcoming 7,459 of those. FIFA also reported that 207 out of 211 member associations were involved in at least one amateur transfer.
While spending at the top end of the game shows signs of stabilising, the overall direction of travel is clear—more transfers, more money, and an ever-growing global footprint. Football’s transfer market, it seems, is only getting bigger.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1738349106labto1738349106ofdlr1738349106owedi1738349106sni@g1738349106niwe.1738349106yrrah1738349106