2026 World Cup Wage Bill: How Much Do Players Make
The World Cup takes center stage starting on June 11. Matches takes place throughout North America in 16 venues in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Spain remains the betting favorite, getting +450 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. During the World Cup, players exchange their club kits for the privilege to play for their nation on the world's biggest stage. We determined the combined club salaries of every World Cup starting XI for our 2026 World Cup Wage Bill.
In baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers carried the highest payroll in MLB and won the 2025 World Series last year. Will money, however, determine the winner of World Cup?
Spain stands as the soccer betting favorite but the combined payroll of its players offers a discount to some of the other teams in the tournament.
Portugal's Number Is A Jaw-Dropper
Portugal's number, meanwhile, will make your jaw drop. Its £3,438,000 ($4,601,831.76) salary easily put Portugal over the top. Ronaldo earns more per week than France's entire XI combined in our World Cup starting XI. Portugal's combined total nearly doubles France's.
One player.
One number.
The Saudi effect.
The USMNT's entire XI earns £628,943/week ($841,852.78) combined. Harry Kane earns £413,000 ($553,009.06) alone. Ronaldo earns £3,438,000 ($4,603,499.19) — more than five full USA squads.
Can the USA as tournament co-host defy the wage gap on home soil? Or will the American soccer fans end up feeling the same how the other 29 MLB fan bases do trying to go up against the Dodgers? The Americans begin Group D play against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12.
2026 World Cup Wage Bill: Team-By-Team Analysis
Here is our list of the top 10 teams vying for the World Cup. Figures are show in British pounds and U.S. dollars (conversion as of March 18.)
| # | Nation | Weekly | Annual | Full Tournament |
| 1 | Portugal 🇵🇹 | £5,058,346 ($6,761,567) | £263.0M ($351.59M) | £46,121,028 ($61,653,898) |
| 2 | France 🇫🇷 | £2,575,507 ($3,442,847) | £133.9M ($177.79M) | £23,482,978 ($31,390,753) |
| 3 | Brazil 🇧🇷 | £2,179,424 ($2,915,154) | £113.3M ($151,54M) | £19,871,570 ($26,579,815) |
| 4 | Germany 🇩🇪 | £2,169,760 ($2,902,048) | £112.8M ($150,87M) | £19,783,455 ($26,459,678) |
| 5 | England 🏴 | £2,148,499 ($2,873,542) | £111.7M ($149,39M) | £19,589,601 ($26,199,989) |
| 6 | Spain 🇪🇸 | £2,079,318 ($2,780,973) | £108.1M ($144.61M) | £18,958,822 ($25,362,164) |
| 7 | Netherlands 🇳🇱 | £1,967,184 ($2,631,787) | £102.3M ($136,86M) | £17,936,406 ($23,990,929) |
| 8 | Argentina 🇦🇷 | £1,443,030 ($1,930,478) | £75.0M ($100,33M) | £13,157,270 ($17,601,730) |
| 9 | Belgium 🇧🇪 | £1,259,580 ($1,685,160) | £65.5M ($87.67M) | £11,484,608 ($15,367,827) |
| 10 | USA 🇺🇸 | £628,943 ($841,607) | £32.7M ($43.75M) | £5,734,581 ($7,673,184) |
Full tournament = 64-day window (Jun 11–Jul 19), assuming nation reaches the final. Annual = weekly × 52. Figures in U.S. dollars based on conversion rates as of March 18.
The combined pro salaries on the players from defending World Cup champion Argentina rank 8th by wages. Messi earns just £182,000/wk ($243,460.49) in MLS — less than Bukayo Saka. Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul earns £23,000/wk ($30,775.41) with Inter Miami. Money cannot buy a World Cup.
England's projected XI is the fifth most expensive at the 2026 World Cup at £2.15M ($2,878,549) per week. The Three Lions haven't won a major tournament since 1966.
Does money finally buy glory in 2026? If only it was that simple.
National Team Weekly Salaries - 2026 World Cup Wage Bill
Here is our current XI lineup for the 10 teams listed above, with each players current weekly salary earned while playing. The player salary figures are listed in U.S. dollars.
🌍 National Team Weekly Salaries
All figures in USD from 2025 · Rate: $1.34 per £1
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Diogo Costa | FC Porto | $105,860 |
| RB | Diogo Dalot | Manchester United | $113,900 |
| CB | Rúben Dias | Manchester City | $335,000 |
| CB | Gonçalo Inácio | Sporting Lisbon | $38,860 |
| LB | Nuno Mendes | PSG | $241,200 |
| DM | Vitinha | PSG | $261,300 |
| CM | João Neves | PSG | $128,640 |
| RW | Bernardo Silva | Manchester City | $402,000 |
| CAM | Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | $402,000 |
| LW | Rafael Leão | AC Milan | $142,040 |
| ST | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al-Nassr | $4,606,920 |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Mike Maignan | AC Milan | $142,040 |
| RB | Jules Koundé | Barcelona | $345,720 |
| CB | William Saliba | Arsenal | $335,000 |
| CB | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich | $221,100 |
| LB | Lucas Hernández | PSG | $293,460 |
| DM | Aurélien Tchouaméni | Real Madrid | $276,040 |
| CM | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid | $276,040 |
| RW | Ousmane Dembélé | PSG | $402,000 |
| CAM | Michael Olise | Bayern Munich | $298,820 |
| LW | Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | $691,440 |
| ST | Marcus Thuram | Inter Milan | $170,180 |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Alisson | Liverpool | $201,000 |
| RB | Danilo | Flamengo | $46,900[Est] |
| CB | Militão | Real Madrid | $322,940 |
| CB | Marquinhos | PSG | $297,480 |
| LB | Guilherme Arana | Atlético MG | $33,500[Est] |
| DM | Casemiro | Manchester United | $469,000 |
| CM | Bruno Guimarães | Newcastle | $214,400 |
| RW | Rodrygo | Real Madrid | $368,500 |
| CAM | Raphinha | Barcelona | $368,500 |
| LW | Vinicius Jr | Real Madrid | $553,420 |
| ST | Endrick | Real Madrid | $45,560 |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | ter Stegen | Barcelona | $345,720 |
| RB | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich | $442,200 |
| CB | Antonio Rüdiger | Real Madrid | $322,940 |
| CB | Nico Schlotterbeck | Borussia Dortmund | $104,520 |
| LB | David Raum | RB Leipzig | $167,500 |
| DM | Robert Andrich | Bayer Leverkusen | $83,080 |
| CM | Florian Wirtz | Liverpool | $268,000 |
| RW | Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | $458,280 |
| CAM | Serge Gnabry | Bayern Munich | $288,100 |
| LW | Kai Havertz | Arsenal | $375,200 |
| ST | Niclas Füllkrug | AC Milan (loan) | $53,600 |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Jordan Pickford | Everton | $201,000 |
| RB | Reece James | Chelsea | $268,000 |
| CB | John Stones | Manchester City | $335,000 |
| CB | Marc Guéhi | Manchester City | $335,000 |
| LB | Nico O'Reilly | Manchester City | $40,200 |
| DM | Declan Rice | Arsenal | $321,600 |
| CM | Elliot Anderson | Nottingham Forest | $53,600 |
| RW | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | $261,300 |
| CAM | Morgan Rogers | Aston Villa | $201,000 |
| LW | Marcus Rashford | Barcelona (loan) | $309,540 |
| ST | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | $553,420 |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Unai Simón | Athletic Club | $183,580 |
| RB | Dani Carvajal | Real Madrid | $230,480 |
| CB | Robin Le Normand | Atlético Madrid | $138,020 |
| CB | Aymeric Laporte | Athletic Club | $230,480 |
| LB | Marc Cucurella | Chelsea | $234,500 |
| DM | Rodri | Manchester City | $294,800 |
| CM | Pedri | Barcelona | $276,040 |
| RW | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | $368,500 |
| CAM | Dani Olmo | Barcelona | $276,040 |
| LW | Nico Williams | Athletic Club | $368,500 |
| ST | Álvaro Morata | Como (loan/Milan) | $183,580 |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Mark Flekken | Bayer Leverkusen | $104,520 |
| RB | Denzel Dumfries | Inter Milan | $113,900 |
| CB | Stefan de Vrij | Inter Milan | $155,440 |
| CB | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | $469,000 |
| LB | Nathan Aké | Manchester City | $214,400 |
| DM | Frenkie de Jong | Barcelona | $419,420 |
| CM | Tijjani Reijnders | Manchester City | $308,200 |
| RW | Ryan Gravenberch | Liverpool | $201,000 |
| CAM | Xavi Simons | Tottenham | $261,300 |
| LW | Cody Gakpo | Liverpool | $335,000 |
| ST | Memphis Depay | Corinthians | $53,600[Est] |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Emiliano Martínez | Aston Villa | $201,000 |
| RB | Nahuel Molina | Atlético Madrid | $83,080 |
| CB | Otamendi | Benfica | $56,280 |
| CB | Lisandro Martínez | Manchester United | $160,800 |
| LB | Nicolás Tagliafico | Lyon | $72,360 |
| DM | Rodrigo De Paul | Inter Miami | $30,820 |
| CM | Enzo Fernández | Chelsea | $241,200 |
| RW | Alexis Mac Allister | Liverpool | $201,000 |
| CAM | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | $243,880 |
| LW | Lautaro Martínez | Inter Milan | $368,500 |
| ST | Julián Álvarez | Atlético Madrid | $276,040 |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | $332,320 |
| RB | Timothy Castagne | Fulham | $87,100 |
| CB | Wout Faes | Manchester City | $93,800[Est] |
| CB | Zeno Debast | Sporting Lisbon | $22,780 |
| LB | Maxim De Cuyper | Club Brugge | $46,900[Est] |
| DM | Amadou Onana | Aston Villa | $187,600 |
| CM | Youri Tielemans | Aston Villa | $201,000 |
| RW | Jérémy Doku | Manchester City | $67,000 |
| CAM | Leandro Trossard | Arsenal | $241,200 |
| LW | Loïs Openda | Juventus | $163,480 |
| ST | Kevin De Bruyne | Napoli | $245,220 |
| Pos | Player | Club | Weekly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Matt Turner | Nottm Forest | $46,900[Est] |
| RB | Sergiño Dest | PSV Eindhoven | $87,100 |
| CB | Chris Richards | Crystal Palace | $73,700 |
| CB | Miles Robinson | Fulham | $60,300[Est] |
| LB | Antonee Robinson | Fulham | $80,400 |
| DM | Weston McKennie | Juventus | $71,020 |
| CM | Tyler Adams | Bournemouth | $80,400 |
| RW | Christian Pulisic | AC Milan | $113,900 |
| CAM | Yunus Musah | Atalanta (loan) | $73,700[Est] |
| LW | Malik Tillman | Bayer Leverkusen | $104,520 |
| ST | Ricardo Pepi | PSV Eindhoven | $52,260 |
The World Cup Wage Bill - How We Did It
We figured the combined weekly club salary of each nation's projected starting XI at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and ranked all 10 nations. Data was pulled live from Capology in March 2026. Six nations are fully set (11/11 players confirmed from direct Capology pulls). The remaining four have 1–3 minor estimates for players at Brazilian clubs or Club Brugge, which are paywalled on Capology — none affect any ranking.
| Salary data | Capology (capology.com). Estimated gross base wages, pre-tax, excl. bonuses. |
| Clubs pulled | 33 club pages accessed live, March 2026. Full list on request. |
| Club transfers verified | Transfermarkt — used to confirm January 2026 moves (Paquetá→Flamengo, De Paul→Inter Miami, Simons→Tottenham, Openda→Juventus, Laporte→Athletic Club, Wirtz→Liverpool, Guéhi→Man City, Morata→Como). |
| XI selection | ESPN '100 days to go' projected XIs (March 2026) + confirmed squad patterns. |
| Capology disclaimer | "All salary figures are estimates and do not represent official figures." |
| Tournament cost | weekly × 52 ÷ 365 × 64 (full Jun 11–Jul 19 window, assumes finalist). |
| Update schedule | Phase 1: Now (projected XIs). Phase 2: May/June (confirmed squads). Phase 3: June (actual Match Day 1 XIs). |
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