Mexico vs England squad comparison: Market values and most expensive players

Mexico and England meet at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City in one of the standout Round of 16 ties at the 2026 World Cup, with El Tri backed by a home crowd of more than 87,000 and the Three Lions still chasing a first world title since their triumph in 1966.

The nations have met nine times previously but only once at the global tournament, when the Three Lions recorded a 2-0 group-stage victory on their way to lifting the trophy in 1966, a result Javier Aguirre's side will hope to avenge on home soil.

Mexico have enjoyed a flawless record at the ongoing World Cup, becoming the only one of the three host nations to win all three group-stage matches after beating South Africa 2-0, South Korea 1-0 and Czechia 3-0 without conceding.

A 2-0 victory over Ecuador in the Round of 32, secured by goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez, also ended El Tri’s 40-year wait for a World Cup knockout win.

England's journey has been less convincing, with a goalless draw against Ghana followed by a hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory over DR Congo that did little to quieten questions over their performances.

Mexico vs England squad value comparison

All values from Transfermarkt.

Mexico's squad is valued at €191.85m (£164.4m), placing El Tri 27th among the 48 nations that featured in the 2026 World Cup and 14th among countries that made it to the round of 16, just behind fellow co-hosts Canada.

England's squad is worth €1.36bn (£1.16bn), making the Three Lions the second most valuable team at the World Cup and one of only four nations valued at more than €1bn.

Mexico vs England most valuable players

Mexico's three highest-valued players are Santiago Gimenez (€18m/£15.4m), Edson Alvarez (€15m/£12.9m) and Armando Gonzalez (€15m/£12.9m), all of whom have played important roles in Aguirre's side reaching the last 16.

Gimenez tops the list, having joined AC Milan from Feyenoord for a reported €32 million (£27.4m) in February 2025, although his current Transfermarkt valuation sits below that fee after a difficult spell with the Italian side.

England's three most valuable players are Jude Bellingham (€130m/£111.4m), Declan Rice (€120m/£102.8m) and Bukayo Saka (€110m/£94.2m), with at least two expected to start at the Azteca.

Bellingham has been one of England's key performers at this World Cup, having found the net twice, and remains the highest-valued player on either side by a considerable margin.

Mexico vs England least valuable players

Mexico's three lowest-valued players are Guillermo Ochoa (€250k/£214k), Guillermo Martinez (€1.50m/£1.28m) and Jorge Sanchez (€2.00m/£1.71m), with the first two playing only minor roles at the tournament, while the latter has started each of the last three matches after remaining an unused substitute against South Africa.

England's three lowest-valued players are Jordan Henderson (€1.2m/£1m), Dan Burn (€4m/£3.42m) and John Stones (€12m/£10.27m), with the former becoming the first England player to appear at four separate World Cups after featuring against Panama.

Mexico vs England transfer records

Hirving Lozano remains the most expensive Mexican player in history following his move from PSV Eindhoven to Napoli in 2019, although the winger was not included in El Tri's squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Among the current Mexico squad, Edson Alvarez and Raul Jimenez share the record for the highest transfer fee, with Alvarez joining West Ham United from Ajax in 2023 and Jimenez moving from Benfica to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2019, both for €38m (£32.53m).

Elliot Anderson is now the most expensive English player in history after completing his £116m move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City.