Kenya Earns Sh19.8 Million in Transfers Amid FIFA’s Sh245 Billion Spending

Kenya’s football clubs were active during the January 2026 transfer window, with players moving both to and from the country. FIFA’s January Transfer Snapshot 2026 provides a global overview of transfer activity, including details on spending and player movement.

Kenyan Transfer Activity

During the January 2026 transfer window, 30 players joined local Kenyan clubs, while 11 moved abroad. Transfers out of Kenya generated $154,000 (Sh19.8 million) for local teams, while spending on incoming players totaled $40,000 (Sh5.2 million).

Global Transfer Trends

The January 2026 transfer window saw over 5,900 international transfers in men’s football globally. Total spending reached more than $1.9 billion (Sh245.2 billion), a decrease of approximately 18 percent compared to January 2025, but still 20 percent above the figures recorded in January 2023.

Leading Football Nations

Brazil led in men’s football transfers, welcoming 456 players and sending 204 abroad, with spending of $180 million (Sh23.2 billion) and earnings of $155 million (Sh20 billion). Spain followed, with 244 incoming and 177 outgoing players, spending $99.1 million (Sh12.8 billion) and receiving $139 million (Sh17.9 billion). Argentina completed 237 incoming and 228 outgoing transfers, spending $19.9 million (Sh2.6 billion) and generating $30.9 million (Sh4 billion). England ranked fourth, with 193 players joining clubs and 206 leaving, spending $363 million (Sh46.8 billion) and receiving $150 million (Sh19.4 billion). Portugal rounded out the top five, recording 152 incoming and 163 outgoing transfers, spending $69.8 million (Sh9 billion) and collecting $90.4 million (Sh11.6 billion).

African Transfer Activity

Morocco led African nations, bringing in 104 players and sending 23 abroad, spending $4.21 million (Sh543.3 million) and earning $2.17 million (Sh280 million). Egypt followed with 94 incoming and 27 outgoing players, spending $1.63 million (Sh210.3 million) and generating $1.56 million (Sh201.3 million). Tunisia recorded 72 arrivals and 37 departures, spending $647,000 (Sh83.5 million) and receiving $2.88 million (Sh371.6 million). Tanzania and Rwanda ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, demonstrating growing activity in East African leagues. Tanzania saw 40 players join and 31 leave, spending $700,000 (Sh90.3 million) and earning $325,000 (Sh41.9 million). Rwanda recorded 34 incoming and 15 outgoing transfers, with no fees reported.

Women’s Football Transfers

Women’s professional football also experienced a record-breaking January transfer window, with clubs spending over $10 million (Sh1.3 billion) on international transfer fees. This represents an increase of more than 85 percent compared to January 2025. More than 420 international transfers were recorded, a slight decrease of just under 6 percent compared to January 2025. Clubs in England were the top spenders in women’s football, exceeding $5 million, and also made the most incoming transfers.