Extra transfer window for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: How does it work and why is it needed?

Published: Mar 30, 2025

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup promises to be the world's first truly global club competition, kicking off June 14 in the United States.

A month-long tournament that mirrors the World Cup in many ways, the Club World Cup presents its own set of challenges that require unique solutions by the governing bodies involved.

This includes a new, shortened transfer window that will be open before the usual one in the summer, plus the opportunity for clubs to effectively sign players to short-term contracts for the tournament.

DAZN News explains the details and how it all works below.

When is the extra transfer window for clubs participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?

FIFA announced in October that an "exceptional registration window" will open from June 1-10, allowing participating clubs to sign new players ahead of the Club World Cup. "The decision," as stated by FIFA, "as to whether or not to open an additional window remains at the full discretion of each FIFA Member Association concerned."

Additionally, FIFA will allow clubs to "replace players during a restricted in-competition period" from June 27 to July 3, in time for the knockout stages of the tournament. It is expected that "a 'standard' registration window must be open for the club at the time."

The Premier League and La Liga have already announced that they will each open an extra transfer window for the first 10 days of June, then their regular summer windows will open on June 16 through the end August. These changes will apply to all clubs in those leagues.

It is expected that the governing bodies for the other leagues and clubs will follow suit.

Why is an extra transfer window needed?

The issue lies in the way player contracts are structured in many leagues around the world.

Standard contracts in major European leagues (and in other leagues which use a fall-to-spring schedule) start July 1 and end the following June 30, meaning many players could find themselves out of contract in the middle of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

To avoid having players fall out of contract mid-tournament, FIFA is allowing clubs to sign (or re-sign) players earlier than usual.

This provides some flexibility for both clubs and players alike. An extra transfer window effectively allows players who are out of contract this summer to remain with their current club for the duration of the Club World Cup by signing a short-term deal before testing the waters of the transfer market.

For instance, a player like Bayern Munich's Leroy Sané, whose contract ends June 30, could sign a short-term deal with Bayern and still keep his options open for the 2025-26 season.

Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold is widely reported to be leaving Liverpool this summer for Real Madrid. However, the Spanish giants would normally need to wait until July 1 to officially sign the England star, but with the extra transfer window in play they could negotiate with Liverpool for the player's early exit so Alexander-Arnold could be available for the entire Club World Cup rather than just the knockout stages.

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