We’re now less than two weeks away from the inaugural game of the 2026 World Cup. We’ve been taking a closer look at some of the top players at the tournament – namely, we have been examining their approximate market values.
We’ve already looked at the most valuable goalkeepers at the tournament – today, we’ll be looking at the competition’s most valuable defenders.
We have used Transfermarkt as a barometer for this piece. Transfmarkt likes to use rough estimates, rather than figures that are accurate down to the penny – as such, we won’t list each player’s inidividual market value, just the order in which they were ranked on the site.
Pau Cubarsi
This one shouldn’t come as a surprise – Pau Cubarsi has several key factors running in his favour. First and foremost, he’s very young at just 19 years of age.
However, despite his age, Cubarsi is widely recognised as one of the best young defenders in the world. His defensive instincts are excellent, as is his technical ability and ball-playing skills.
On top of this, he plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world in Barcelona and has just won the La Liga title. A player of Cubarsi’s quality was always going to show up in a list of this ilk.
Nuno Mendes
Nuno Mendes is probably the best left-back in the world right now. Previously known for his attacking acumen, his defensive abilities are also criminally underrated.
At just 23 years of age, he’s still very young – however, this season, the Portuguese international has struggled with a serious of injuries. Nevertheless, this hasn’t affected his market value too greatly.
Being a PSG player, who have just won their second consecutive Champions League trophy, Mendes is amongst the most sought-after players in the world right now – being under contract until 2029 only bolsters his overall market value.
Achraf Hakimi
Achraf Hakimi is in a very similar position to Mendes at the moment. He’s also an important player for PSG, having played a pivotal role in the Champions League final against Arsenal.
He is the oldest player in our list at 27 – this might be the only factor that truly holds him back in Transfermarkt’s eyes. Nevertheless, he is still a couple of years away from his prime.
Additionally, like Cubarsi and Mendes before him in the list, his current contract isn’t due to expire for another three years as things stand.
Willian Pacho
The third PSG player in a row on our list – we’re starting to notice a pattern! Willian Pacho has burst onto the scene this season, swiftly establishing himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world.
Furthermore, at just 24 years of age, he is still far from the finished product. He is already a world-class talent – one can only imagine how good he will be at the age of 28.
Like the three previous entries in our list, Pacho is also under contract until 2029, meaning he likely won’t be leaving Paris any time soon.
William Saliba
Is William Saliba the best defender in the world right now? Transfermarkt certainly seems to think so – at least, in terms of his market value.
A well-rounded defender with virtually no weaknesses, Saliba can do everything one would expect from a modern centre-back. Technically sound, defensively astute and physically domineering, he is the archetypal contemporary defender.
He is currently tied down with Arsenal until the summer of 2030 – with four years left on his remaining deal, any club wishing to snap him up will be forced to pay an almighty transfer fee.