World Sports: No agreement on start and end dates for this year’s major league transfer windows

On June 14, according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, FIFA has announced the transfer market dates for its 211 member associations. Starting with UEFA’s European markets, a notable surprise in the obtained documents is the lack of consensus on the closing dates for the top five leagues.

The summer transfer window for registering players sees almost uniformity in its starting dates. Four of the five major leagues (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) commence their windows on July 1st. In contrast, the English market has already been open since Friday, June 14th.

In Wales, the same applies. Other continental leagues, like Belgium or Denmark, initiate their transfer windows on June 15th, while the Netherlands has set its date for Monday, June 17th.

There is no consistency in the end dates for the summer transfer window either. Three of the five leagues (England, Spain, and France) have set their deadlines for August 30th, a Friday. For Italy, Serie A clubs will have until Saturday, August 31st, to register players domestically. The Bundesliga in Germany and the Eredivisie in the Netherlands both close their markets on September 2nd, Monday. Belgium extends its deadline to September 6th, and Greece to September 14th. Portugal’s market runs from July 1st to September 16th.

As for the winter transfer window, UEFA sets September 3rd as the deadline for registering players for club competitions. There is more consistency for the first market of next year, which takes place in January 2025. The winter window in the five major leagues starts on January 1st and 2nd. England, France, Germany, and Italy open on New Year’s Day, which falls on a Wednesday. In Spain, the winter window officially begins on Thursday, January 2nd.

Four of the big five leagues conclude their winter windows on Monday, February 3rd: France, Germany, England, and Spain. Italy alone pushes its deadline to February 4th, a Tuesday.