The 2026 FIFA World Cup has had a major impact on the global football transfer market, with 267 players who featured at this year’s tournament moving to new clubs during the mid-year transfer window.
The players, drawn from 47 nationalities, were involved in transfers worth more than $3.3 billion (Sh427.2 billion) in combined fees between June 1 and September 2, according to FIFA’s International Transfer Snapshot released on Thursday.
The figure came during a record-breaking window for men’s football, with clubs spending more than $9.89 billion (Sh1.3 trillion) on international transfer fees, the highest amount ever recorded for a mid-year window. More than 12,500 international transfers were also registered worldwide, setting another record.
According to FIFA, the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, helped create new opportunities for players by putting them in front of a global audience.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 has consolidated itself as a significant global spotlight, helping to create new opportunities for players in the transfer market,” the football body said in the snapshot.
England was the biggest spender in the men’s market, with its clubs investing more than $3.02 billion (Sh390.9 billion) in transfer fees. Italy followed with $1.1 billion (Sh142.4 billion), while clubs in Spain spent $940 million (Sh121.7 billion), Germany $904 million (Sh117 billion) and France $641 million (Sh82.9 billion).
According to the snapshot, French clubs received the most in transfer fees at $1.7 billion (Sh220.1 billion), followed by England with $1.43 billion (Sh185 billion), Germany with $1.02 billion (Sh132 billion), Spain with $773 million (Sh100 billion) and Portugal with $642 million (Sh83 billion).
The growth was not limited to the men’s game, with women’s professional football also recording its strongest transfer window yet. A total of 1,406 international transfers were registered in women’s football during the period, a record and a 19.2 per cent increase on the previous high. Women transfer fees also reached a new peak of $28.6 million (Sh3.7 billion), more than double the amount recorded during the 2025 mid-year transfer window.
English clubs led spending in the women’s game with $8 million (Sh1 billion), followed by Spain at $6.6 million (Sh854.4 million) and Germany at $4.9 million (Sh634 million).
“Women’s professional football continued its rapid growth, with new records being set for both the number of international transfers and transfer fees,” FIFA said.