Snapshot
6 min read

International transfers in 2020 (Part I)

The 2020 edition of FIFA’s annual report on international transfers has been published. In the first of two pieces we share the highlights from the men’s report.

  • Spending on global international transfers in 2020 was down 24% compared to 2019.
  • The number of transfers in July 2020 was down 69.5% down on the previous year
  • 51.4% of transfers in 2020 included a sell-on fee, up from 47.9% in 2019

Within days of the postponement of football competitions around the world in the early part of 2020, questions were being asked about the potential wider impacts of Covid-19 on the global game.

While some still held out hope that leagues could be resumed within a matter of weeks, others predicted deeper consequences, both on ability of leagues to play out their remaining fixtures and on the wider business of football as part of the sports and entertainment industry.