Turkey ranks first on FIFA transfer ban list: One in every five active records belongs to Turkish clubs

As the transfer agenda heats up ahead of the new season, the financial picture of Turkish football has also been reflected in FIFA's transfer registration ban list. On the live list, which FIFA updates regularly, there were 1,279 active ban records worldwide as of July 25, 2026. 256 of these records belong to 32 clubs from Turkey.

According to this table, one in every five active transfer ban records appearing in the FIFA system has been registered to Turkish clubs. Turkey even surpasses the combined total of Libya, which ranks second with 114 records, and Greece, which has 69 records. Romania follows Turkey with 42 records, and China with 40.

It is noted that the list shows the number of accumulated files rather than just the number of clubs. Indeed, while 38 clubs from Libya are on the list compared to 32 clubs from Turkey, the number of active records for Turkish clubs is significantly higher.

ADANA DEMIRSPOR HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF RECORDS

The most severe situation on a club basis is at Adana Demirspor. The Adana team has 34 active records on the FIFA list. 28 of these records consist of bans that will continue until the obligations are met, while six consist of sanctions covering three transfer windows.

Adana Demirspor is followed by MKE Ankaragücü with 27 records, Yeni Malatyaspor with 25, and Altay with 21. The total of 107 records for these four clubs corresponds to approximately 42 percent of all active bans in Turkey.

When viewed by province, it is seen that the records are spread across 19 provinces. Adana is at the top of the list with 45 records, 34 of which belong to Adana Demirspor and 11 to Adanaspor. There are 29 active records in Ankara, 26 in İzmir, 25 in Malatya, and 21 in Antalya. The total of the top five provinces reaches 146, accounting for 57 percent of the bans in Turkey.

Further down the list, Antalyaspor stands out with 15 records; Adanaspor and Denizlispor with 11 each; and Hatayspor, Gaziantepspor, Kardemir Karabükspor, and Şanlıurfaspor with 10 each. Akhisarspor has nine active records, and Pendikspor has seven.

CRISIS IS DEEPER IN LOWER LEAGUES

Among the clubs that will compete in the Süper Lig in the 2026-2027 season, only Gaziantep FK and Eyüpspor are on the list. Gaziantep FK has three active records, and Eyüpspor has four. In contrast, the total number of records for the nine clubs in the top two men's football leagues remains at 43.

The remaining 213 records belong to clubs in professional lower leagues, women's football, those that have relegated to amateur leagues, or those that no longer participate in national leagues. The fact that Gaziantepspor and Kardemir Karabükspor have 10 records each, Akhisarspor has nine, and the former legal entity of Mersin İdman Yurdu has four active records shows that relegation from leagues does not eliminate obligations before FIFA.

A significant portion of the active bans belonging to Turkey came into effect recently. 78 of the 256 records have a start date in 2025, and 99 have a start date in 2026. In other words, 69 percent of the bans active today began in the last two years. In July, new records were added for Adana Demirspor, Giresunspor, Sivasspor, Hatayspor, Kayserispor, Giresun Sanayispor, and Eyüpspor.

Although the sanction at FIFA is known in the public eye as a "transfer ban," it technically means a ban on registering new players. Even if a club signs a contract with a player, it cannot complete the license process and cannot play the footballer in official matches until the ban is lifted.

In 139 of the 256 records belonging to Turkey, the duration appears as "until lifted." This phrase does not mean a lifetime ban; it refers to a sanction dependent on the club fulfilling a payment or other obligation specified in the FIFA decision. 113 records cover three transfer windows, and four records cover two.

The FIFA list shows the name of the club, the federation it is affiliated with, the start date of the ban, and the duration; however, it does not disclose the creditor, the amount of the debt, the currency, or the reason for the dispute. For this reason, while the number of records shows the prevalence of the crisis, there remains a need for greater transparency to fully understand the financial scale.

Women's football is also not outside the picture. There are 10 women's football records belonging to seven clubs from Turkey on the FIFA list. Ataşehir Belediyespor has three, Gölbaşı Belediyespor has two, and Bornova Hitab Spor, Giresun Sanayispor, Konak Belediyespor, Telsiz Spor, and Yeni Malatyaspor have one record each.