ZURICH: The January transfer window saw a record number of moves in men’s professional football, albeit with a decrease in terms of spending compared to January 2025.

In women’s professional football, there was record spending but a slight fall in the total number of moves compared to 12 months ago.

According to FIFA’s January Transfer Snapshot 2026, there were more than 5,900 international transfers in men’s professional football in January 2026, the highest-ever figure for any January window and just over three per cent higher than the previous record set 12 months ago.

More than $1.9bn was spent by clubs on international transfer fees, a decrease of about 18pc compared with January 2025 but still more than 20pc above the figures recorded in January 2023.

A new record was also set in women’s professional football. For the first time ever, clubs spent more than USD 10 million on international transfer fees during the January window – more than 85% above the previous record from January 2025. More than 420 international transfers were recorded, a slight decrease of just under 6% compared to January 2025.

Clubs in England were the top spenders in women’s football (>USD 5m), and they also made the most incoming transfers.

In men’s football, English clubs led the way with total spending on transfer fees of more than USD 360m. The top five was completed by clubs in Italy, Brazil, Germany and France. Meanwhile, French clubs received the highest amount in transfer fees (>USD 215m), followed by clubs in Italy, Brazil, England and Spain.

Brazil came out on top for the most incoming transfers, followed by Spain, Argentina, England and Portugal. The country with the highest number of outgoing transfers was Argentina, with England, Brazil, Spain and the United States rounding out the top five.

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