World Cup squads: Who has the most expensive squads? Who are the highest value players?

The 2026 World Cup is now only a few weeks away, and the excitement is steadily building towards fever pitch as the biggest edition of the tournament in history prepares to get underway, with 48 teams competing for football’s most prestigious prize for the very first time.

The tournament will run from June 11 to July 19, with an unprecedented 104 matches scheduled across 39 days and 16 stadiums spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

As deadline approaches for World Cup squads submission, some nations, including Spain and England, have already unveiled their final selections, while supporters elsewhere continue to wait for official announcements.

World Cup 2026: Most expensive squads

The World Cup does not simply bring together the finest footballers on the planet and the promise of surprise packages; it also showcases some of the most valuable squads ever assembled in international football.

Thanks largely to the financial muscle of the Premier League and Europe’s elite domestic competitions, England top the list for the most expensive squad in the tournament, despite Thomas Tuchel making several controversial calls by omitting some high-profile names.

According to BeinSports, the Three Lions arrive with a squad value exceeding $1.5bn (£1.1bn), underlining why they are widely viewed as one of the favourites to go all the way under Tuchel.

France sit second and are not far behind England in overall valuation, with the runners-up from Qatar boasting an extraordinary collection of talent including Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate and Michael Olise among others.

For the first time in Spain’s history, no Real Madrid players have been included in La Roja’s squad, but that hardly diminishes the talent available, with Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, Rodri, Ferran Torres and Martin Zubimendi spearheading what many believe could be the country’s next golden generation.

Spain’s recent success, combined with the explosive rise in value of their young stars, has propelled them into third place on the list, comfortably ahead of Portugal, Brazil, Argentina and Germany.

England World Cup squad: Tuchel's bold decisions

The data offers another reminder that Europe remains football’s financial epicentre, with the continent continuing to dominate the upper reaches of squad valuation rankings.

While South American powerhouses such as Brazil and Argentina remain rich in heritage, talent and pedigree, the bulk of their squad values are naturally inflated by players earning their reputations in Europe’s top domestic leagues.

England consistently reached the latter stages of tournaments under Gareth Southgate, and Tuchel has now been tasked with taking the team one step further, with no shortage of elite talent at his disposal.

Harry Kane arrives after another phenomenal campaign, having scored 61 goals for Bayern Munich across all competitions, while the attacking options around him include Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Ollie Watkins.

Even without the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and Trent Alexander-Arnold, England still boast not only one of the most expensive squads in the competition, but arguably one of the most balanced as well.

World Cup 2026: Who are the highest value players?

The World Cup remains one of the greatest sporting spectacles on the planet, drawing billions of fans eager to watch the game’s biggest stars perform on its grandest stage.

This is expected to be the final World Cup for icons such as Cristiano Ronaldo ($216m – £160.4m) and Lionel Messi, two of the highest-paid and most influential players of the modern era.

Real Madrid superstars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior are also among the top five most valuable players, while Jude Bellingham features prominently too.

Egyptian legend Mohamed Salah, fresh from ending his glorious nine-year association with Liverpool, also makes the top 10 and will represent his country at the 2026 World Cup, although his significance to African football transcends any financial valuation.

Ultimately, playing for one’s country remains the highest honour in football, and history has repeatedly shown that market value does not automatically translate into success, which is perhaps where the sport’s enduring romance lies, as lower-valued teams continue to dream of causing the kind of giant-killings that make the World Cup so unforgettable.