Why the January transfer window in 2026 will actually close on February 2nd | OneFootball

EFL clubs will be handed an extra few days to conduct their upcoming transfer business

The upcoming winter transfer window is the only opportunity which clubs in the EFL will be permitted to conduct business between themselves as well as sides across the Premier League and Europe until the final matches of the season have been played out.

With the fortunes of several clubs across the Championship, League One and League Two currently well-documented, a plethora of managers and head coaches will have already gathered, or will soon gather with their recruitment teams - often made up of several analysts and potentially a sporting director - to firm up their shopping list from New Year's Day onwards.

At present, the likes of Coventry City and Middlesbrough will be potentially eyeing transfer targets that can provide Frank Lampard or Kim Hellberg with an extra dose of Premier League quality to aid their current promotion bids, having failed to return to the elite level of English football since 2001 and 2017 respectively.

Meanwhile, there are several sides in the Championship and the third and fourth tiers who will be eyeing up extra bodies to compensate for international call-ups and well-documented injury blows which have threatened to derail short-term aims such as a play-off bid or the battle to avoid relegation into the division below.

Much has often been made of the transfer window in many ways, not least due to the amount of spending which EFL clubs have recently been able to conduct, such as Ipswich Town, who broke the Championship's all-time record spend in August 2025 after acquiring Sindre Walle Egeli's services from FC Nordsjaelland, with the 19-year-old signing a five-year contract at Portman Road.

Birmingham City also broke League One and their own record spend in August 2024 when Jay Stansfield was signed on a permanent basis from Fulham on a seven-year contract, although the general trend is that such high-profile deals worth hefty sums will be parted with in the summer, rather than the winter.

This is largely down to the much shorter timeframe in which the window is open at the turn of each year, and at times the way in which the yearly calendar falls has often impacted the deadline.

As such, it was confirmed at the beginning of the season by the Premier League and English Football League that the upcoming window would close on February 2nd, 2026, leading to some forms of confusion from sections of the wider footballing fanbase.

However, there is a clear reason as to why such a decision was called.

Why EFL winter transfer window closes on February 2nd explained

Deadline Day has recently become a staple in the calendar of football in the UK, with millions of supporters often glued to their television screens or radios to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of the world of transfers, with the likes of Jim White gaining nationwide notoriety as a result due to his previous involvement on Sky Sports' broadcasts.

As is often the norm, the winter transfer window will technically reopen at midnight on New Year's Day, although it is also often the case that hardly any, if any at all, business, is confirmed on the opening day of the window besides pre-arranged deals.

With January consisting of 31 days, it has, more often than not, been the case that Deadline Day will fall on 31st January, regardless of what day of the week said date is.

However, just like the 2024/25 campaign, the current EFL season will see an exception to the rulebook take place once again.

In 2026, Deadline Day for the winter transfer window will take place on Monday, February 2nd, with a timed deadline of 7PM on that particular day set, although a handful of transfers are often completed afterwards if a deal sheet is submitted in time to help complete the needed paperwork which is sent off to the relevant governing bodies.

The reason for such a decision is so that the deadline does not clash with the round of Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two fixtures across the prior weekend, with the bulk of those to be played out on Saturday, January 31st and Sunday, February 1st.

The occasional EFL match can be played out on winter transfer deadline day

As previously mentioned, the main reason behind next year's deadline being set is to avoid several fixture clashes with the deadline.

However, it is not uncommon to see Premier League or EFL matches played out on the evening of Deadline Day, even if it occurs on a Monday night.

Indeed, last season saw Sunderland emerge 3-2 victors against Middlesbrough in a Tees-Wear derby at the Riverside Stadium, whilst their 22 divisional rivals were focusing on making the final touches to their 25-man squads for the remainder of the campaign.