At the 2026 World Cup, there will be a collection of the greatest footballing talent on the planet. It is, after all, the aim to pit the very best against one another once every four years to determine which nation truly is the champion of the sport.
In 2022, Lionel Messi led Argentina to glory, while Kylian Mbappe announced himself as a global superstar with France's success in 2018. It will come as no surprise to learn that those two are among the best-paid players going to the tournament this summer.
However, each team is made up of 26 individuals. With that in mind, it's interesting to learn which squads have the greatest combined transfer value. As per Transfermarkt, that information is now available.
48-41
Tim Payne
Tim Payne
Jordan are the team with the lowest combined value going to the World Cup in 2026. Their worth, reported to be £16.89m, is not that far behind 2022 hosts Qatar at £17.24m. Iran come in at number 44 (£28.24m), and it will be interesting to see how they fare this summer, after so much speculation over whether or not they'd even compete amid their conflict with co-hosts the United States.
New Zealand, playing at their first World Cup since 2010, have a total value of just £30.57m. Despite being worth just £302,000, defender Tim Payne could be one of the most-watched players in the group stages after bizarrely going viral this month.
World Cup Squad Values
Rank
48
47
46
45
44
43
42
41
40-31
Egypt's Mohamed Salah pointing
South Africa have appeared at the World Cup on three occasions in 1998, 2002, and then most recently as hosts in 2010. They sneak into the top 40 as their team is valued at a combined £39.61m. Worth at £30.23m, Manchester City centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov accounts for half of the Uzbekistan national team's value (£60.74m). Only three players in their whole squad are worth more than £2m.
Notable stars like Mohamed Salah (£19m) and Son Heung-min (£12.96m) help bring up the values for Egypt and South Korea – although both are now worth a fraction of what they would have been in their prime. Edin Dzeko may have been the captain and star man for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he's said to be worth less than £1m, making him the team's second least valuable player.
World Cup Squad Values
Rank
40
39
38
37
36
35
34
33
32
31
30-21
Napoli's Scott McTominay warms up
Scotland will be delighted to make their first World Cup since 1998, and Scott McTominay, who is worth £34.55m, will carry most of the weight of the nation's dreams upon his shoulders.
Interestingly enough, co-hosts Mexico and Canada both have a very similar squad value, divided by just £7.31. Jesse Marsch's men are helped rank a little higher thanks to Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, valued at £34.55m.
Star names like Luis Diaz for Colombia, Takefusa Kubo of Japan, Austria's Konrad Laimer, and Algerian defender Rayan Ait-Nouri help their nations rank higher on this list than some would expect – all comfortably breaking the £200m mark.
World Cup Squad Values
Rank
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20-11
Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams playing for the USMNT
Switzerland could be without key striker Breel Embolo, as he was denied entry to the United States less than 10 days before the start of the World Cup. Their squad value will change if he has to be replaced, but for now it remains at £288.46m.
The United States will be delighted to have the best squad value of all co-hosts, which suggests they could go the furthest of the three this summer. It will come as no surprise that AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic, said to be worth £34.55m, is the USMNT's most valuable player.
A number of star names, such as Moises Caicedo of Ecuador, Sweden's Alexander Isak, and Turkey ace Arda Guler, help boost the overall value of their international squads. Team 13 to 11 are from Africa with Senegal, Morocco and the Ivory Coast worth over £400m. Morocco were the best-performing nation from the continent in 2022, making the semi-finals.
World Cup Squad Values
Rank
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
France's Kylian Mbappe makes a prayer sign and the FIFA World Cup trophy is displayed Related
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10-11
Argentina captain Lionel Messi with the World Cup trophy and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo
Argentina captain Lionel Messi with the World Cup trophy and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo
With their Golden Generation now very much a thing of the past, Belgium just about squeeze into the top 10. Norway, however, are one to keep an eye on this summer. Their overall value is helped by Haaland, who, at a tournament-high £173m, accounts for just under a third of his nation's £519.68m value.
There's then a big boost to the £700m mark which is met by Argentina, the Netherlands, and Brazil. Lionel Messi may well be the greatest footballer of all time, but at the age of 38 is now valued at just £12.96m. Neymar is another superstar name but he is priced at just £6.91m, despite being one of the best-paid players going to the tournament.
Both Germany and Portugal hit the £800m mark – with Cristiano Ronaldo now worth only £10.37m – but only three teams are valued at being worth over a billion pounds each. Spain come in third, and it's no shock to see Lamine Yamal is their most valuable star.
The Barcelona ace is worth £173m, the highest amount, which he shares with the aforementioned Haaland and one other player not yet mentioned. England then rank second on the list, with Jude Bellingham the Three Lions' most expensive player at £121.08million
France, however, come in at number one. The most expensive star at their disposal is Kylian Mbappe, who is worth that tournament-high figure of £173m. Current Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele joins him in the squad, and is worth a hefty £86.41m
World Cup Squad Values
Rank
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Stats via Transfermarkt - correct as of 04/06/26