On June 14th, according to Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo, FIFA has announced the transfer market dates for players from its 211 member associations. Beginning with UEFA’s European markets, a notable surprise arises from the lack of consensus regarding the closing dates for the major leagues.
The summer transfer window:
The commencement date for registering players during the summer transfer window is almost uniform across the top five leagues. Four of them (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) open their windows on July 1st. In contrast, the English market has been open since Friday, June 14th. The same applies to Wales. In other continental leagues like Belgium or Denmark, the transfer market begins on June 15th, while the Netherlands sets it for June 17th, Monday.
As for the end of the summer transfer window, there is no consensus either. Three of the top leagues (England, Spain, and France) have set their deadlines for August 30th, a Friday. Italian clubs have until Saturday, August 31st, to register players domestically. The German Bundesliga and the Dutch Eredivisie will close their markets on September 2nd, Monday. Belgium extends until September 6th, Greece until September 14th, and Portugal’s market runs from July 1st to September 16th.
The winter transfer window:
UEFA sets September 3rd as the deadline for registering players for club competitions. More consistency is observed for the first market of next year, scheduled for January. The winter window in the top five leagues starts on January 1st or 2nd. England, France, Germany, and Italy open on New Year’s Day, which falls on a Wednesday. In Spain, the winter window officially commences on Thursday, January 2nd.
Four of the top five leagues conclude their winter windows on February 3rd, a Monday: France, Germany, England, and Spain. Italy concludes one day later, on February 4th, Tuesday.