Football Agent Commissions: Structure, Limits, and How to Negotiate Them

In 2025, football agents earned USD 1.37 billion in commissions from international male transfers — the highest amount ever recorded and a 90% increase compared to 2024. Football, alongside basketball and baseball, is among the sports where agents generate the most revenue. However, unlike those sports, football now has a system of regulatory limits on commissions — at least on paper.

The FIFA Football Agents Regulations (RFAF) introduced in 2023 a fee cap that sets maximum commission limits depending on who the client is and the player's earnings. However, the implementation of these caps has been turbulent: a preliminary injunction from a German court (Dortmund) led FIFA to temporarily suspend their application, creating a regulatory limbo that persists to date.

This article explains how agent commissions work under the RFAF, what the limits are, how to calculate them with concrete examples, what is currently in force and what is suspended, and how to negotiate your fees within the regulatory framework.

What this article covers

General principles of fees: who pays and when (art. 14)
Commission limits: the full table (art. 15)
How to calculate the commission: step-by-step numerical examples
Suspension of caps: what happened and what applies today
Payment through the FIFA Clearing House
When the agent CANNOT charge a commission
Dual representation: rules and limits
Practical negotiation: tips for agents and players

General principles: who pays the agent (art. 14)

Article 14 of the RFAF establishes the basic rules:

The client pays. Agent fees can only be paid by the agent's client — that is, the person or entity who signed the representation contract with the agent. Third parties cannot pay the agent. This aims to prevent clubs from paying agents who supposedly represent the player, thus avoiding hidden conflicts of interest.

Exception for low salaries. If the player earns less than USD 200,000 annually (excluding variable payments), the destination club may agree with the player to pay the agent's fees on their behalf. In these cases, the club's payment does not create subordination of the agent to the club nor affect the agent's fiduciary duties to the player.

Payment in quarterly installments. Fees are paid in quarterly installments throughout the duration of the negotiated employment contract, after the close of each registration period. If the employment contract lasts less than 6 months, a single payment is made at maturity.

Only on remuneration actually received. The agent charges on what the player actually receives, calculated on a pro-rata basis. If the club stops paying the player, the agent has no right to charge on unpaid amounts — although this point generates divergent interpretations and it is recommended to expressly regulate it in the representation contract.

Mandatory invoice. Fees are paid against presentation of an invoice from the agent (art. 14, para. 4). This is not a minor detail: the invoice is the document that authorizes payment and must be consistent with the representation contract registered on the FIFA platform.

Commission limits: the table from art. 15

Article 15 of the RFAF sets the maximum caps per transaction:

Agent's client	Remuneration ≤ USD 200K	Remuneration > USD 200K
Player or coach	5 % of remuneration	3 % on the excess over USD 200K
Destination club	5 % of remuneration	3 % on the excess over USD 200K
Dual representation (destination + player)	10 % of remuneration	6 % on the excess over USD 200K
Origin club (on transfer compensation)	10 % of transfer compensation

What is included and excluded in the calculation

For player remuneration: Fixed gross salary is included. Variable payments (performance bonuses, loyalty bonuses, etc.) are not included

for determining the cap. However, when variable payments are realized, the same effective rate calculated on the fixed salary applies to them.

For transfer compensation: Amounts for breach of contract (art. 17 RETJ) and resale bonuses are not included__. Other variable payments such as loyalty or performance bonuses are included.

Practical example: how to calculate the commission

Case: Transfer of Player D

Club B signs Player D from Club A for a transfer compensation of USD 1,000,000 (with a 20% resale bonus in favor of Club A). Player D signs a 1-year contract with a fixed remuneration of USD 1,000,000 and variable payments of USD 500,000.

Agent of Club A (origin club):
10 % of compensation = 10 % × USD 1,000,000 = USD 100,000
(The resale bonus is not included in the calculation)

Agent of Player D:
Effective rate = 5 % on the first USD 200,000 + 3 % on the remaining USD 800,000
= USD 10,000 + USD 24,000 = USD 34,000 per year (effective rate: 3.40 %)
Future variable payments are calculated with the same effective rate of 3.40 %.

Suspension of fee caps: what happened

Current situation (2026): The fee caps in art. 15 are temporarily suspended. In May 2023, the District Court of Dortmund (Germany) granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting FIFA from enforcing the limits. FIFA, through Circular 1873 (December 2023), suspended their application and recommended all member associations do the same.

What does this mean in practice? While the suspension lasts, agents can charge whatever they want. 10%, 15%, or more — there is no effective regulatory cap in force. The industry standard currently hovers around 10 % of the player's remuneration, which is what most agents charge internationally. Some elite agents with top player portfolios charge even more, especially in high-value transfers where their negotiation capacity creates significant value for the club or player.

That said, other rules on commissions (who pays, quarterly installment format, prohibition on charging for minors, invoicing obligation, disclosure on the platform) are still in force. FIFA has declared its intention to reinstate the caps once the litigation is resolved. Therefore, knowing the art. 15 table remains essential: when caps are reactivated, any agent unaware of them will face problems.

When the agent CANNOT charge

The RFAF establishes situations where the agent has no right to fees:

Representation of minors: No fees can be charged when services are provided for a minor, except when the minor signs their first professional contract (art. 14, para. 9)
Expired representation contract: If the representation contract has expired at the time of the transaction, the agent does not charge — unless there is an explicit prior agreement to charge post-expiration
Subsequent player transfer: If the player is transferred to another club before the negotiated employment contract expires, the agent loses the right to pending installments (art. 14, para. 12)
Termination by the player without just cause: If the player terminates the employment contract without just cause and the agent still represents them at the time of termination, the agent loses pending fees
Unstipulated services: The agent only charges for services previously stipulated in the representation contract valid at the time of service provision

Dual representation

The RFAF allows an agent to represent both the player and the destination club in the same transaction (dual representation), provided both parties give written consent. In this case, the combined fee cap is 10 % (or 6 % on the excess over USD 200K).

What is not allowed is representing both the origin and destination clubs in the same transaction. It is also not permitted for an agent to charge fees from the destination club when already charging the player (except the exception for remuneration under USD 200K).

Beware of "other services": If within 24 months before or after a transaction, an agent provides "other services" to a client involved in that transaction, those services are presumed to be representation (art. 14, para. 3). The agent must rebut this presumption or fees for "other services" are added to the cap calculation. This aims to prevent cap evasion through parallel consultancy contracts.

Payment through the FIFA Clearing House

Article 14, para. 13, establishes that agent fees must be paid through the FIFA Clearing House. This centralizes payments, allows FIFA to verify amounts match registered contracts, and increases transparency. However, while the Clearing House is not operational for agent payments, payment is made directly to the agent.

Negotiation tips

For agents

Document everything in the representation contract. Services, fees, calculation basis, what happens if the player is transferred before the employment contract expires, what happens if the club does not pay — all must be in writing.
Negotiate the representation contract before the transaction. Do not start working "in good faith" without a signed contract. Without a contract, you have no right to fees.
Upload the contract to the platform within 14 days. Failure to upload may result in sanctions and loss of claim rights.
Even though caps are suspended, be reasonable. FIFA may reinstate them. Players and clubs are increasingly informed. Charging commissions well above the 10% standard damages reputation and may lead to litigation.

For players

Read the representation contract before signing. Especially the fee clause. Seek independent legal advice — the agent is obliged to suggest it.
Know the caps in art. 15. Even if suspended, they serve as a market reference. If your agent asks for 15% or 20%, they know this far exceeds what FIFA considers reasonable.
Verify your agent holds a valid license. Only FIFA-licensed agents can provide representation services. Check the public FIFA directory.
Understand who pays. If you earn more than USD 200K annually, you pay the fees — not the club. If less, the club may pay on your behalf, but it must be documented.

This guide is based on the RFAF (December 2024 edition, arts. 14-15), RFAF FAQs, FIFA Circular 1873 (December 2023), the Football Agents Report 2025, analysis by SportsAgent Institute, Crowe UK (July 2025), EA Sports Law, MKPartner, TransferRoom, JV Academy, and inside.fifa.com/transfer-system/agents/faq-agents. This information is for guidance only and does not replace advice from a specialized lawyer.

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Football Agent Commissions: Structure, Limits, and How to Negotiate Them