The Highest-Paid Athlete in the World is in the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in full swing, and athletes from all over the world are in the spotlight as the race for the title continues.

Following its towering 3-0 win over Sweden on Tuesday, France has become the favorite to win the World Cup. But after the United States' win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, the U.S. is also moving up the odds board.

According to Fox Sports, the U.S. is now ranked the No. 8 favorite to take the top prize. No. 1 is France, followed by Argentina, Spain and England, respectively. Portugal has the sixth-best odds.

The biggest star on Portugal's team is Cristiano Ronaldo. So, how much money is Ronaldo worth? Let's take a look.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Highest-Paid Athlete in the World

Forbes magazine released its official tally of the highest-paid athletes in the world in May. Many of the usual names were on the list, such as LeBron James, Canelo Alvarez, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

But the No. 1 highest-paid athlete was a soccer player: Ronaldo. He's a regular at the top too.

"Leading the list for the fourth straight year is soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, with an estimated $300 million, equaling the best year ever measured by Forbes," the outlet states.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the world's most popular athlete, with nearly 1 billion combined followers on Instagram, Facebook and X. Al-Nassr pays Ronaldo more than $200 million annually, helping make him the world's highest-paid athlete for four consecutive years."

Per Forbes, Ronaldo had a record 973 career goals at the beginning of the 2026 World Cup. Ronaldo also holds the title for being the first active athlete to surpass $2 billion in career earnings on and off the field, before factoring in taxes and agents' fees.

Ronaldo's next match is on Monday when Portugal takes on Spain.

Another Soccer Player Among the Highest-Paid in the World

Another soccer player is also high on Forbes' tally. Lionel Messi of Argentina comes in at No. 3 on the list.

"Messi led Argentina to an elusive World Cup title in 2022 after coming up short in his first four tries in soccer's most prestigious tournament," Forbes states in their piece. "He has earned an estimated $1.8 billion on and off the field throughout his career, before taxes and agents' fees, and has a lifetime endorsement deal with Adidas."

So, it appears soccer, which the rest of the world calls football, is quite the lucrative sport.

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