PARIS, Sept 4 — Fifa said yesterday that clubs spent more than US$9.89 billion (RM40 billion) on international transfer fees in men’s football this summer, the highest figure ever recorded for a mid-year window.

According to Fifa’s latest International Transfer Snapshot, more than 12,500 transfers were completed worldwide, also a record. It is up from 11,863 a year ago.

English clubs once again dominated spending, investing more than US$3.02 billion in transfer fees to sign players from clubs abroad.

The amount is considerably less than the record Premier League outlay of £3.49 billion reported by British media, which also includes deals for players moving between English sides.

Italian clubs ranked second with US$1.1 billion, followed by Spain (US$940 million), Germany (US$904 million) and France (US$641 million).

French clubs generated the highest transfer income, receiving US$1.7 billion in fees. Clubs in England collected US$1.43 billion, ahead of Germany (US$1.02 billion), Spain (US$773 million) and Portugal (US$642 million).

Fifa said the 2026 World Cup had a significant impact on the transfer window, with players who featured at the tournament accounting for more than US$3.3 billion in transfer fees.

A total of 267 World Cup players from 47 nationalities changed clubs between June and September.

Women’s football also established new records for both transfer spending and activity.

Fifa reported 1,406 international transfers in the women’s professional game, a rise of 19.2 per cent from the previous record. Spending on international transfer fees more than doubled from the corresponding 2025 window to reach an all-time high of US$28.6 million.

English clubs led women’s spending with US$8 million, ahead of Spain (US$6.6 million), Germany (US$4.9 million), the United States (US$2.9 million) and Italy (US$2.1 million).

Swedish clubs received the highest value of transfer fees at US$4.2 million, marginally ahead of England (US$4 million), while clubs in France and Germany each collected US$3.6 million. — AFP