Global Look Press
Therefore, a team’s value is an important factor, but everything comes down to the individual match. Nevertheless, compiling various rankings is standard practice ahead of any major tournament.
The 2026 World Cup is no exception in this regard. Especially since, ahead of the quadrennial tournament, the Transfermarkt portal updated player valuations. Consequently, the total values of the national teams have also changed.
Sport-Express compiled a ranking of the most valuable squads among the 2026 World Cup participants based on the updated data. Here is how the top 10 looks:
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France. Total value — €1.52 billion
One of the most successful national teams in recent years also boasts the most expensive squad.
Top stars: Kylian Mbappé (€180 million), Michael Olise (€150 million), and Désiré Doué (€120 million). Fifteen of the French team’s 26 players are valued at over 50 million euros. Interestingly, the lowest-valued player on the team is N’Golo Kanté (4 million euros).
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England — €1.36 billion
Thomas Tuchel left several high-value players at home—Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Trent Alexander-Arnold (all valued at 60 million or more).
But even without them, England has the second-most valuable squad at the 2026 World Cup. The most valuable players are Jude Bellingham (130 million), Declan Rice (120 million), and Bukayo Saka (110 million). The cheapest is 35-year-old Jordan Henderson (just over a million).
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Spain — 1.22 billion euros
The reigning European champions have brought the third-most valuable squad in the tournament to North America.
Spain has only two players valued at over 100 million, but what a pair: Lamine Yamal (200 million) and Pedri (150 million). Another Barcelona player, Fermin Lopez, who is valued at exactly 100 million, will miss the World Cup due to injury. The least expensive Spanish player is Celta Vigo forward Borja Iglesias (2.8 million).
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Portugal — 1.01 billion euros
The last team on the list whose squad is worth over a billion. The main assets are a trio from Paris: Vitinha and João Neves (140 million each), as well as Nuno Mendes (80 million).
41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is valued at 10 million, but he is not the cheapest player. The least valuable player on the team is backup goalkeeper José Sá (3.5 million).
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Germany — €947 million
The Germans have issues with their lineup, but they have plenty of stars in midfield: Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz (€100 million each), and Aleksandar Pavlović (€90 million).
40-year-old Manuel Neuer is valued at 4 million, and the cheapest player is another goalkeeper, Oliver Baumann (2.5 million).
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Brazil — €928.2 million
A distinctive feature of Carlo Ancelotti’s team: a defender is among the most expensive players. The most valuable: Vinícius Júnior (140 million), Gabriel Magalhães and Matheus Cunha (75 million each).
The team’s biggest media star, Neymar, is worth less than a Zenit player: 8 million versus 24 million for Luis Enrique. Douglas Santos (7.5 million) has almost caught up with Neymar. The cheapest is third-string goalkeeper Ueverton (700,000).
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Argentina — 782.5 million euros
The reigning world champions have one of the most modest squads among the top national teams. The most expensive players are Julián Álvarez (€100 million), Enzo Fernández (€90 million), and Lautaro Martínez (€85 million).
Lionel Messi (€15 million) is valued higher than Ronaldo, but he is also younger. The least expensive Argentine is 38-year-old defender Nicolás Otamendi (€1 million).
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Netherlands — €754.2 million
The Dutch are among the World Cup’s dark horses. There are no stars worth hundreds of millions here, but there are plenty of solid professionals.
Key players: Ryan Gravenberch (€80 million), Cody Gakpo (60 million), Tijani Reinders, and Micky van de Ven (50 million each). The cheapest player is Wout Weghorst (2 million).
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Norway — €589.9 million
A team you probably didn’t expect to see here. The Scandinavians have the Premier League’s top striker, who has propelled his national team into the top ten most expensive squads—Erling Haaland (€200 million).
He is followed by Martin Ødegaard of Arsenal (€65 million) and Jørgen Strann Larsen of Crystal Palace (€40 million). The least expensive player is 35-year-old goalkeeper Erjan Nyulann (800,000).
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Belgium — €547.5 million
Belgium’s golden generation is gone. Those days are in the past; now it’s hard to even call the team a dark horse. There are few stars left in their prime, as the prices show: the most expensive are Jérémy Doku (75 million) and Amadou Onana (45 million).
It is telling that third place is held by Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens (€35 million). The cheapest player is our old acquaintance Axel Witsel (€1.2 million).
The cheapest national teams
In 46th place is Iraq (21.2 million euros). The team’s most expensive player is Ahmed Qasim of the American club Nashville (3.5 million).
In 47th place, second to last, is Jordan (20 million). Exactly half of its value is accounted for by Rennes forward Moussa Al-Tamari (10 million).
The cheapest team at the 2026 World Cup is Qatar (€19.93 million). The main star and most expensive player for the hosts of the previous World Cup is Akram Afif of Al-Sadd (€8 million).
