ZURICH (AP) — A record number of 5,973 international transfers were recorded in the January trading window for men’s soccer, according to a FIFA report released Thursday.
That marks a 3% increase from the previous year in global deals between clubs in the countries that are processed by FIFA.
However, the total spending was down about 18% from last year's record, to $1.95 billion. That's still some 20% more than the previous record from January 2023, FIFA said.
In women’s soccer, clubs spent more than $10 million on international transfers, up 85% from the previous record a year ago, while the number of international transfers was down by 6% to 420.
English clubs were again the biggest spenders with a $363 million outlay on transfer fees and recouped just $150 million by selling players to clubs in other countries. Italy followed in second with $283 million, with Brazil, Germany, and France also making the top five.
French clubs benefited most, earning $218 million in transfer sales, followed by Italy, Brazil, England and Spain.
In the United States, clubs spent $99 million and took in $48 million in transfer fees, according to the FIFA research.
English women’s clubs also topped the spending with over $5 million, and also were the biggest earners.
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Newcastle's Nick Woltemade, left, and Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly fight for the ballduring the English League Cup semifinal soccer match soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen believed to be Islamic extremists have killed scores of people in a western Nigerian state that is becoming a new hot spot of violence that affects large parts of Africa's most populous country.
Local officials said at least 162 people died in the Tuesday attack and said the victims in the Muslim-majority villages of Woro and Nuku in Kwara state were targeted for refusing extremist ideology. The gunmen razed homes and looted shops.
The attack is the latest in a surge in violence in Kwara, as well as other conflict hot spots, despite recent support from the U.S. military.
Separately on Thursday, the governor of Kaduna state announced that all 183 people abducted from churches last month are free. He did not give details of how this was achieved.
Nigeria is facing a protracted fight with dozens of local armed groups increasingly battling for turf, including Islamist sects like the homegrown Boko Haram and its breakaway faction Islamic State West Africa Province. There is also the Islamic State group-linked Lakurawa, as well as other “bandit” groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and in illegal mining.
Recently, the crisis has worsened to include other militants from the neighboring Sahel region, including the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which claimed its first attack on Nigerial soil last year.
Anaysts say Nigeria’s recent military campaigns against the armed groups in the north, added to the growing competition within the groups, have contributed to the groups moving to new areas like Kwara through vast forests that make it difficult to hunt them.
“We may likely see the situation where these groups may come together to confront their common enemy, which is the state,” said Malik Samuel, a security researcher at Good Governance Africa.
The United States is supporting Nigeria in its military campaigns against the armed groups, despite some disagreements.
This week, the head of U.S. Africa Command said a small team of U.S. military officers are in Nigeria, focused on intelligence support.
Nigeria has been in the diplomatic crosshairs of the U.S. in recent months following threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to attack the country, alleging it is not doing enough to protect its Christian citizens.
While Christians have been among those targeted, analysts say the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s north, where most attacks occur.
But those tensions have since eased and the two countries have begun to cooperate. In December, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on IS-affiliated militants in Nigeria.
Last month, Nigeria’s government also said the U.S. has pledged to deliver military equipment purchased by the country but not yet delivered in recent years over concerns about possible human rights abuses by Nigeria’s security forces.
Kwara State Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said Tuesday’s attack was likely carried out in response to recent counterterrorism operations in the region. Some of these operations have been launched based on intelligence from local communities.
Mohammed Omar Bio, a federal lawmaker from the district, blamed the attack on Lakurawa, whose members were targeted by U.S. strikes in December, forcing some of them to flee to areas like Kwara.
Experts say that Kwara, which has seen a recent spike in deadly attacks and kidnappings, is fast becoming a new frontier for armed groups seeking to expand.
Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal, and Adetayo from Lagos, Nigeria.
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, right, holds a child, freed with other worshipers, abducted by gunmen in Kurmin Wali, upon their arrival at the state government house in Kaduna, Nigeria, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Abel Omotosho)
Freed church worshipers who were abducted by gunmen in Kurmin Wali, are seen upon their arrival at the state government house in Kaduna, Nigeria, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Abel Omotosho)
Freed church worshipers who were abducted by gunmen in Kurmin Wali, applaud upon their arrival at the state government house in Kaduna, Nigeria, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Abel Omotosho)
