Following sharp falls in spending in 2020 and 2021 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, clubs spent a new record high amount on international transfer fees in 2023, with their combined outlay reaching a total of USD 9.63 billion, up from 6.50 billion in 2022 – an increase of 48.1% and surpassing the former record, set in 2019, by more than USD 2 billion. Last year, and for the �rst-ever time, more than 1,000 clubs – 1,024 to be precise – spent money on international transfers. The number of clubs (1,241) that received transfer fees also reached a new high. Almost all of the transfer fees last year were either �xed fees (83.7%) or conditional fees (16.1%), and just 0.1% of all fees were declared as release (buy-out) fees.
Overview Figure 2: Transfer fees in USD by type and number of clubs receiving and spending on transfer fees by year
The global transfer landscape once again witnessed signi�cant activity in 2023. There were 21,801 international transfers, re ecting a steady increase of 7.1% in comparison to the previous year. The number of transfers that included a transfer fee (3,279) was also a new all-time high, surpassing the previous record, set in 2022, by 14.7%. Nevertheless, the vast majority of transfers, namely 18,522 (85.0%), occurred without any such fees being exchanged. A record 4,971 clubs – representing 180 of FIFA’s 211 member associations and all six confederations – were involved in these 21,801 transfers, showcasing the wide and diverse range of clubs participating in international transfers. Just as in previous years, most transfer activity occurred during two peak periods: at the beginning of the year in January and February (33.0% of all transfers) and in the middle of the year from July to September (53.6% of all transfers). Figure 1: Number of international transfers per year
Without transfer fees
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01. MEN’S PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL
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01. MEN’S PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL