Transfers: Brazil, the biggest exporter of players in 2025-26, ahead of France and Argentina (CIES)

With 1,455 expatriate players in the 135 professional leagues included in the sample, Brazil is the country exporting the most football players in 2025-26, ahead of France (1,275 players) and Argentina (1,016), according to the CIES Football Observatory’s weekly report published on 13 May 2026.

Since 2021, the highest growth in the number of ”exported” players has been recorded by France (+332), followed by Spain (+255) and Argentina (+249), while only nine countries have seen their contingent abroad decrease over the period.

In terms of destinations, the majority of Brazilian players went to Portugal, French players to Luxembourg and Argentine players to Chile.

Italy ranks 27^th in the table, between Austria (26^th) and the Republic of Ireland (28^th), with only 181 active players abroad as of 01/05/2026.

Nine countries, including five European nations, ”exported” at least 500 active players in 2025-26

The 20 countries with the highest growth in exported players…