The Most Expensive Squads at the 2026 World Cup—Ranked

Some of the world’s most expensive players will be on show this summer.

The world’s top players are hoping to make massive impacts. | Michael Owens/Rich Storry/Pablo Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

With the Champions League final now in the rearview mirror, the focus is solely on preparations for this summer’s 2026 World Cup.

While a whole host of massive names will not be part of this summer’s tournament, the vast majority of the world’s most valuable players will be heading to the United States, Canada and Mexico looking to write their names into the history books.

Here are the most valuable squads heading to the 2026 World Cup as priced up by Transfermarkt.

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Christian Pulisic leads the way for the United States. | Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images

There are eight nations whose transfer values drastically outweigh the rest of the competition, with the battle for a spot at the bottom of the top 10 extremely tight.

Unfortunate to miss out in 11th is Côte d’Ivoire with a total value of $617.44 million. Morocco ($567.78 million), Senegal ($549.99 million) and Türkiye ($549.76 million) all come in just marginally behind.

When it comes to the tournament co-hosts, the United States sits highest in 18th with a total value of $443.86 million. Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun share the honor of being the team’s most valuable players, with Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi not far behind.

Canada comes in at 26th with a total squad value of $228.13 million and sits just one place above the final co-host, Mexico. A squad value of $226.26 million is only good enough for 27th on this list.

A total of 14 teams fall below a squad value of $100 million. Among those closest to the bottom of the rankings are Iran ($37.97 million), Curaçao ($30.04 million), Iraq ($24.54 million) and Qatar ($23.18 million).

Right at the bottom is Jordan with $23.12 million—a whopping $1.55 billion less than the most valuable squad at the 2026 World Cup.

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The 10 Most Expensive World Cup Squads

10. Belgium ($631.4 million)

Jérémy Doku is Belgium’s top talent. | Daniel Bartel/Getty Images

Belgium are right at the end of a famous golden generation. Eden Hazard has retired, while 34-year-old Kevin De Bruyne and 33-year-old Romelu Lukaku both bring limited financial value with them.

This time around, it is Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku who sits alone as Belgium’s most valuable player at $75.60 million, ahead of Aston Villa’s midfield duo of Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans.

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9. Norway ($698.97 million)

Erling Haaland is the world’s most valuable player. | Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

You perhaps do not need reminding of the most valuable talent in the Norway roster. Man City striker Erling Haaland brings a monster valuation of $232.60 million to make him not only the most valuable player at the whole tournament, but in the entire world.

The perennial dark horses are by no means just a one-man army, however. Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard and Crystal Palace striker Jørgen Strand Larsen contribute over $127 million between them on a roster that feels capable of springing a few upsets this summer.

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8. Argentina ($950.76 million)

Lionel Messi’s price tag is well below those of his younger teammates these days. | Juan Manuel Baez/NurPhoto/Getty Images

It has been a while since Lionel Messi has been Argentina’s most valuable asset—on paper, at least. He comes in at just $17.45 million here, with the heavy lifting in these rankings clearly being done by those around him.

Julián Álvarez and Enzo Fernández, who could be two of the big players in this summer’s transfer window, are both rated at $104.67 million, although interested parties are likely to have to pay far above that number for either.

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7. Netherlands ($973.68 million)

The Netherlands hope to make noise in the later stages. | ANP/Getty Images

The Netherlands’s roster is full of big-name players who will hope to make significant impacts at this summer’s World Cup.

At the top of the nation’s rankings is Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who shares the same price tag handed to Álvarez and Fernández. Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber ($81.41 million) adds plenty of value, as do Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and Tottenham Hotspur’s Micky van de Ven ($75.60 million).

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6. Brazil ($1.06 billion)

Brazil’s top stars are rivals at club level. | Jonathan Lanza/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The first to break the $1 billion mark is Brazil, who could be even higher on these rankings had Chelsea winger Estêvão been fit and Blues striker João Pedro earned a call-up to the roster.

Predictably, Brazil’s value is spearheaded by Clásico rivals Vinicius Junior ($174.45 million) and Raphinha ($93.04 million), but Premier League titans Gabriel, Bruno Guimarães and Matheus Cunha all bring in over $80 million each.

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5. Germany ($1.16 billion)

Germany has high hopes this summer. | EyesWideOpen/Getty Images

Germany’s group is top heavy, led by the lucrative pairing of Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz (both $116.3 million). Bayern midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović sits third on $104.67 million, before a steep drop to teammate Lennart Karl at $69.78 million.

That being said, there are still plenty of top players in the German roster, including Kai Havertz, Nico Schlotterbeck, Nick Woltemade and Felix Nmecha, all of whom help make Die Mannschaft one of the pre-tournament favorites.

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4. Portugal ($1.19 billion)

Cristiano Ronaldo heads to his sixth World Cup. | Tim Clayton/Getty Images

Like Argentina, Portugal’s biggest name is not its most valuable here. Cristiano Ronaldo comes in at $13.96 million, with just five players given a lower value heading into the World Cup.

Paris Saint-Germain boast Portugal’s top three here. The Champions League-winning midfield pairing of Vitinha and João Neves are both priced at $162.82 million, marginally ahead of left back Nuno Mendes at $93.04 million.

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3. Spain ($1.47 billion)

Spain is led by young Lamine Yamal (left). | Gongora/NurPhoto/Getty Images

There’s a fairly significant jump up to the top three. Starting with Spain, La Roja are led by the whopping $232.60 million valuation of superstar winger Lamine Yamal, but unlike Norway, the supporting cast here is significantly pricier.

Barcelona teammates Pedri ($174.45 million) and Pau Cubarsí ($93.04 million) round out an incredibly expensive top three, with big names like Martín Zubimendi and Dani Olmo not far behind.

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2. England ($1.52 billion)

England’s midfield is stacked. | Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

While English fans can often be guilty of overvaluing their own talents, the rankings agree with their lofty expectations here with a squad led by Jude Bellingham ($162.82 million), Declan Rice ($139.56), Bukayo Saka ($127.93 million) and Morgan Rogers ($104.67 million).

Indeed, just five players in the squad fall below $25 million, with the Three Lions bringing expensive quality all across the pitch.

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1. France ($1.78 billion)

France is overflowing with superstars. | Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

There is a clear winner in these rankings, with France storming out into the lead with a massive valuation of $1.78 billion.

No fewer than six players are comfortably valued over $100 million. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé joins Yamal and Haaland with the world-leading price tag of $232.60 million, with Michael Olise’s $174.45 million tied for second on the rankings.

PSG duo Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé are joined by Arsenal’s William Saliba and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki as players with nine-figure valuations, making it abundantly clear why many are looking at France as likely winners this summer.

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