New Delhi, Feb. 6 -- 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 cross-border deals between clubs in different countries, where the transactions 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.

The FIFA research does not include domestic tran...