FIBA Report Shows Record Basketball Migration
The 15th annual International Basketball Migration Report records 14,194 international transfers during the 2025-26 season.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Basketball
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FIBA released its International Basketball Migration Report 2026, produced with the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), showing international basketball transfers reached a new high of 14,194 during 2025-26. Europe recorded 5,428 of those transfers, 228 more than the previous period.
Why it matters
The data points to a continued expansion of cross-border player movement in basketball, with the USA involved in nine of the top ten transfer pathways. Growth in transfers involving African players, from 124 in 2021 to 534 in 2026, suggests the sport's talent flows are broadening beyond traditional hubs.
The report draws on FIBA transfer records analyzed with CIES methods, showing 14,194 international transfers in 2025-26, a record total. It does not explain what drove the increase, and the reasons behind the growth remain unexplained.
The players
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation, the global governing body for basketball, which works with 212 national federations and produced the report.
International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES)
A Swiss-based research center that provides sports analytics and co-produced the migration report with FIBA.
The details
Produced by FIBA and the International Centre for Sports Studies, the 15th annual report combines FIBA's international transfer data with CIES analytics to track player movement and global trends. NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball each had more than 1,000 international players this season, with women's international numbers nearly doubling over six years.
Timeline
2025-26: Season covered by the report's transfer data.
November 10, 2026: FIBA released the International Basketball Migration Report 2026.
Migration Trend
The 2026 report continues the 15-edition FIBA series tracking basketball's cross-border player flows, and its 14,194 transfers mark a new high within that multi-year record. The series shows the sport's international movement has grown steadily as its player pipelines expand.
The rising count of international players in NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball, each above 1,000 this season, means college rosters increasingly draw on talent from many nationalities. Fans following college or professional rosters may see more international players in their teams' lineups.
The takeaway
The report shows basketball's talent pipelines reaching further each season, with record transfer totals and growing African representation. Following international transfer data helps explain how rosters across leagues are changing.
Further reading
Explore more Basketball coverage for context on how the global game is evolving.
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