After the all-time high in 2023, the commissions that clubs worldwide paid to player agents for international transfers have fallen significantly.
According to FIFA, “only” 682.5 million euros went into agents’ pockets in the year just ended, compared to 855.5 million euros in 2023 (any discrepancies may be due to readjustments in the statistics or currency developments, since FIFA reports the amounts in US dollars). Despite the significant decline, this is the second-highest figure, followed by 2019 with 629.7 million euros. These statistics do not include commissions for national transfers, which are only recorded domestically, but according to experts, these are likely to be even higher than the sums for international transfers.
England continues to dominate the international market
Two markets are primarily responsible for the noticeable decline: England and Saudi Arabia. In the country hosting the 2034 World Cup, the Saudi Pro League, through four clubs in which the state investment fund PIF had invested, was wildly active on the transfer market in 2023. At that time, it was still at 82 million euros in commissions, in 2024 it was only 42.3 million euros. The market shrank even more on the island, from 270.6 to 185.6 million euros.
Nevertheless, the home of the Premier League remains the dominant league on the transfer market. Italy, with 91 million euros, Portugal, with 71.4 million euros, Spain, with 47.1 million euros, Brazil, with 39.5 million euros, and France, with 34.8 million euros, also have a large share of the total amount. FIFA does not provide any figures for Germany; in previous years, the Federal Republic of Germany was usually between Italy, Portugal and Spain. In 2023, for example, international commission payments for German clubs amounted to 85 million euros. According to the DFL key figures for 2022/23, the Bundesliga clubs alone paid around 200 million euros for international AND national transfers.
It is difficult to say whether the decline is also related to FIFA’s new agent regulations. As is well known, the world governing body also planned to cut commission levels, but the new rules have been put on hold, at least nationally, following several court rulings. In February, there will be a hearing in the legal dispute at the ECJ in Luxembourg. Among others, the Zurich-based The Football Forum (TFF), with the major consultants Jorge Mendes, Raffaela Pimenta and Jonathan Barnett on the board, repeatedly criticized the regulations.
78 wanted the license despite obvious conflicts of interest
What can be said, however, is that market access has become significantly more difficult due to the reintroduction of the FIFA license. The world governing body received 19,827 licensing inquiries in 2024, with 10,887 interested parties taking the relevant exam – but only around 40 percent passed it. The test has already been criticized by consultants. What’s interesting is that 78 applicants were not admitted because they are considered association or federation officials according to the statutes, and would therefore face a situation of conflicting interests. FIFA rejected one duo because of a final conviction for a criminal offense. Recently, there have been repeated cases of questionable bridge transfers on the international market. Among others, FC Porto had dared to go public because of the way it dealt with its former talent Cardoso Varela.
