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Spending on football agents in the men’s professional game has reached an all-time high, with clubs paying a combined USD 1.37 billion in international transfer service fees this year, according to FIFA’s Football Agents Report 2025.
The total, which covers the period between 1 January and 1 December, represents an increase of more than 90 per cent compared to last year and comfortably surpasses the previous full-year record of USD 889.4 million set in 2023.
European clubs accounted for the largest share of global spending, with teams from the UEFA region dominating the market. English clubs were the biggest contributors by a significant margin, spending more than USD 375 million on agent services. German sides ranked second, with an outlay of USD 165 million.
England also recorded the highest proportion of incoming international transfers involving an engaging-club agent, at 51.1 per cent, while Serbia led in terms of outgoing transfers featuring a releasing-club agent, with 28.7 per cent.
Agent involvement in international transfers also rose sharply over the past year. Club agents took part in a record 3,010 international deals, an increase of 38.1 per cent compared to last year. Meanwhile, agents acting on behalf of players were involved in 3,730 international transfers, accounting for 15.3 per cent of all such moves and marking a rise of almost 20 per cent year on year.
Growth was also evident in the women’s professional game. Clubs spent more than USD 6.2 million on the services of agents, more than double last year’s figure of USD 3.1 million and over 13 times higher than the level recorded in 2020.
FIFA also reported strong interest in its football agent licensing system. The first fully online FIFA football agent exam, conducted with live invigilation, attracted 16,117 applications — the highest number in the exam’s history. The leading countries for applications were Great Britain, France, the United States, Spain and Brazil. As of 4 December 2025, there are 10,525 licensed football agents worldwide.
Commenting on the findings, FIFA’s Head of Agents, Patricio Varela, said the data highlighted the increasing importance of agents in the modern game.
“The numbers this year confirm the growing relevance of football agents in professional football,” Varela said. “We expect this trend to continue in the coming year, which underscores the importance of having comprehensive and enforceable FIFA Football Agents Regulations in place to support this evolution.”
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash / Ystallonne Alves
