May 22 – Brazil remains the undisputed powerhouse in global football exports, with over 3,000 Brazilian players having featured in foreign leagues since 2020, according to the latest report by the CIES Football Observatory.
In its latest post, the Observatory ranks the top 100 player-exporting nations across 135 professional leagues worldwide between 2020 and 2025. Brazil leads the way with 3,020 expatriate footballers, comfortably ahead of recent World Cup winners France (2,293) and Argentina (2,171).
France, however, has seen the largest absolute growth, adding 372 expatriates over the six-year period. Argentina (+216) and Nigeria (+181) also posted strong increases, underlining the sustained demand for talent from South America and Africa.
The top ten exporting nations include familiar European names — England, Spain, Germany, Serbia, and Croatia — alongside Colombia and Nigeria. England’s tally benefits in part from the strong presence of English players in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The report highlights Argentina’s dominance in the Americas, with 1,580 Argentine players plying their trade across the continent’s leagues — nearly double Colombia’s total. In Europe, France leads with 2,080 exports to UEFA’s 83 top leagues, just ahead of Brazil (2,009), while England trails with 1,323.
Brazil also tops the charts in Asia, with 1,027 players featuring across 20 Asian leagues since 2020 — more than four times as many as the next biggest exporters, Spain (243) and France (201). Among Asian countries, Japan and South Korea lead as domestic exporters.
The data underscores the globalisation of talent pipelines, with player mobility increasing in both volume and geographic range. It also reflects shifting development dynamics — especially the growing export role of nations like Nigeria and Colombia — as clubs around the world continue to scour new markets for affordable and high-potential talent.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1747912572labto1747912572ofdlr1747912572owedi1747912572sni@g1747912572niwe.1747912572yrrah1747912572