Which World Cup Nations have the Biggest Salaries?

Soccer’s biggest and most watched competition is back. The 2026 World Cup will take place this summer, seeing a record 48 teams go head-to-head for the first time, fighting against each other to take home the glory.

Some nations are home to big-name players from top leagues around the world such as the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, or Serie A, each of whom are being paid obscenely high salaries. Others, however, aren’t even earning a fraction of that, with the numbers showing a stark contrast.

So exactly how large is the salary gap between the players from the different World Cup nations? We crunched the numbers and found out.

World Cup Teams by Payroll

Below is our ranking of the nations with the highest paid players, showing which have superstars earning the biggest wages.

However, as the final 26-man roster deadline is not until 1 June, many players across each nation are still competing for a place in the final squad. As such, this analysis is based on all players listed within each nation’s Transfermarkt player pool, alongside recent matchday squad selections. While the majority of players featured are expected to make their respective World Cup squads, some may not ultimately be included in the final selection.

Note: soccer wagers are typically discussed on a per week basis, as opposed to a per year figure which would be more common for American sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, or MLB. 

#1 Portugal – $8,087,746 per week

Leading the salary table and being the team at the World Cup with the highest weekly salary total is Portugal. Earning more than $8 million per week, the Portuguese national team is powered by marquee players and high-profile stars playing in Saudi Arabia.

Unsurprisingly, the player on the highest salary is the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. Playing for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo is paid a weekly wage of $4,601,090.

With key players such as Ruben Neves ($461,876) also playing in Saudi Arabia and Bernardo Silva ($403,071) and Bruno Fernandes ($403,071) playing in the Premier League, it’s not a shock to see high wages all throughout the team.

Portugal’s roster evidently leans on big-name veterans, who’ve got an abundance of experience. This is clear, with the top few players in the list all being 29 and above, meaning they’ve got the track record to support their wages. There’s also an obvious disparity between the superstar salaries and the fringe players included in the squad.

#2 England – $7,353,258 per week

Coming second in our list is England, who have a mixture of high earners throughout the squad rather than the majority of the money coming from Saudi Arabia.

Usurpingly, Harry Kane is the top-earner for the Three Lions. After signing for Bayern Munich in 2023, Kane earns $508,444 every week, which places him in the lead by a significant amount. Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City, despite being an emerging superstar, then earns the least out of all England players with a weekly salary of  just $40,207. This is, however, a much closer gap than between Portugal’s highest and lowest earners, being only roughly 13 times less than Kane’s.

Some of the best-paid players in England’s camp are Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham ($466,545), Trent Alexander-Arnold ($373,371) and Manchester City’s John Stones ($335,892) who feature in two of the best leagues in the world.

As many players are playing for the elite clubs around the globe and earning big money, it creates much more of an even spread of the wages they’re paid. The top seven players in England’s salary list are all earning above $300,000, meaning there are many players contributing significantly to this total. As this is the case, it directly contrasts Portugal’s team as the overall weekly total isn’t dominated by one singular astronomical salary. Overall, there is a reasonable balance between the salaries received by young emerging talents and established favorites.

#3 France – $5,724,055 per week

Les Bleus are the next national team to feature on this list, rounding out the top three. With a combination of world-class soccer players and young talents coming through the pipeline, France have a high concentration of elite stars within their national setup that contribute to this total.

Though French players play in the Saudi Pro League, they aren’t the top-earners in France’s squad. That title belongs to their talisman Kylian Mbappé, with Real Madrid’s striker being paid a weekly wage of $699,930. This is more than ten times as much as right-back Malo Gusto, who earns $60,461 per week at Chelsea!

Al-Hilal’s Theo Hernández, PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé, and Barcelona’s Jules Koundé all contribute to large portions of this overall salary total. Because Al-Hilal are part of the Saudi Pro League, PSG are one of the richest clubs in the world, and Barcelona are so big, these wages are no surprise.

France’s salary structure clearly leans toward its more experienced, established stars rather than its younger prospects breaking through. That said, it’s not just a veteran-only setup. Young players like Eduardo Camavinga ($279,972) and Michael Olise ($302,594) still sit near the top of the list despite being in their early 20s.

#4 Spain – $4,622,535 Total Weekly Salary

Finally, coming in fourth place is Spain who have a blend of competitive wages for some of their more established stars and emerging talents across various clubs.

Though wages are competitive across the board, Barcelona star boy Lamine Yamal is by far the top-earning player for Spain. With a weekly salary of $373,371, it stands at almost $50,000 more than Nico Williams, who earns the next most ($320,577). Yamal’s salary is also more than 6 times as much as the lowest-paid player, Celta Vigo’s Borja Iglesias, who earns $65,401 per week.

Left-back Marc Cucurella ($235,125), center-back Aymeric Laporte ($233,385), and forward Ferran Torres ($220,781) also provide large salaries to this total too. Again, as they all play within the top European leagues, their inclusion higher up on the list is no surprise.

Because many Spanish players stay within Spain and play in La Liga, they don’t end up getting the big contracts that the Premier League and other top clubs from different leagues can offer. This leads to Spain having a much more balanced total across their players’ salaries compared to the likes of Portugal and England, with both star players like Yamal and rising talents like Pau Cubarsí featuring.

#5 Brazil – $4,165,644 per week

Brazil then comes next in the rankings and rounds out the top five. As their squad contains global superstars located throughout Europe’s elite soccer teams, the Seleção boasts multiple top-players on high wages.

Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior carries the title of being the biggest earner as he’s paid $551,954 per week. This is significantly more than Flamengo defender Léo Pereira who’s on a weekly wage of $6,023 while playing in the Brazilian Serie A.

As previously mentioned, the Brazilian national team is home to some of the Europe’s best players that feature across the top teams. This includes many such as Casemiro for Manchester United ($470,249), Raphinha for Barcelona ($373,371), and Gabriel Martinelli for Arsenal ($241,843), who all earn north of $240,000 per week!

Comparing the salaries of the global superstars to the younger and more low-profile players in Brazil’s team, there’s a wide gap. This is likely due to the younger and less experienced players remaining in Brazil, where there’s less money involved in the sport compared to Europe.

Team USA – USMNT’s Weekly Salary Spotlight

As the largest nation of all the co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup, it only felt right to take a look into the total weekly salaries for players in the USMNT (United States Men’s National Team):

How are players from the USA performing globally?

Though the salaries for players from the USA can’t compete with those received by players from Europe’s top nations, several from the USMNT squad are making waves overseas.

For the USA, all eyes are on one man: Christian Pulisic. Currently playing in Italy’s Serie A for AC Milan, he earns $115,280 per week, the highest of any player.

Meanwhile, the second highest-paid US player overall is Sergiño Dest, who plays for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He takes home $86,546 per week, significantly more than Max Arfsten, who earns $6,731 per week at Columbus Crew 2.

Other top earners for the USMNT include multiple Ligue 1 players such as AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun ($72,121), Lyon’s Tanner Tessmann ($65,177), and Premier League players like Leeds United’s attacking midfielder Brendan Aaronson ($60,461).

American talent is evidently growing abroad, with more and more players featuring in top European leagues and teams. The top six earners for Team USA are playing in the highest divisions for the countries they play in, which includes Dest in the Eredivisie (Netherlands), Balogun, Tessmann, and McKenzie in Ligue 1 (France), Aaronson in the Premier League (England), and Joe Scally in the Bundesliga (Germany). This isn’t even including other members of the USMNT squad who play in La Liga or even top teams in the Championship (England’s second division).

Market Value Insights

Now that we’ve discussed the salaries of the top earning national teams at the World Cup, are there any great disparities between these and their market values?

How does salary compare to their transfer market value?

Though some players are getting paid the big bucks, does their market value actually show if they’re worth it or not? Certain players may earn top wages, but when looking at their market value it can reveal if they’re technically being overpaid compared to what they’re worth.

England are the nation with the largest market value for their entire squad, with their total coming to $1,877,500,000! This means that their position in second place behind Portugal for the highest weekly wage bill is somewhat justified as their players are worth a lot as well.

The team with the second-highest squad value is France, as their total reaches $1,402,500,000. Again, this justifies their higher wage bill to an extent, with their team containing many superstars and talents. The players with a higher market value for Les Bleus do tend to be sat higher up the salary list, but someone like Theo Hernández is valued at $28,000,000 but is the second highest paid player. This is an example of a player’s salary and market value not being proportionate. The same could be said in reverse for Bradley Barcola, who’s high $70,000,000 valuation isn’t proportionate to his $162,832 per week wage.

The third-highest squad value is then Spain as their squad is valued at $1,217,000,000 in total. Again, the market value of Spain’s squad is fairly reflective of their high wages with many of their higher-valued players earning the larger weekly salaries. This is the case with Lamine Yamal having a $200,000,000 market value and the highest wage. However, the opposite is then true for $80,000,000 valued Pau Cubarsi on $89,591.

Brazil then come in fourth and have a squad market value of $924,000,000, making them the first to be under $1 billion. Similarly to the previously mentioned teams, Brazil’s salary total is relatively representative of their wage bill as well. This is certainly true for Vinícius Júnior, who has the highest market value in the team ($150,000,000) and is also paid the highest. Though, Casemiro has a market value of only $8,000,000 and is the second highest paid player. His low market value, however, is likely to be due to him being 34 years old, with his high wage coming as a result of his pedigree and experience.

Finally, Portugal have the fifth highest market value of teams at the World Cup. This makes them have the least representative wage bill compared to the value of their team, as they have the largest total weekly salary for their players. Cristiano Ronaldo is a huge part of this, with his $12,000,000 market value being disproportionately paired with his weekly wage of $4,601,090. Like Casemiro for Brazil, his age lowers his transfer value, but his status in the game is why he’s being paid so handsomely.

Huge gap in the salaries of superstars and squad players

So, looking at the overall picture, it’s clear that there is a stark disparity between the wages paid to superstars and those paid to fringe players. Portugal and England are both dominant forces when it comes to salaries, with both featuring marquee names and deep squads on bigger wages. By contrast, France, Spain, and Brazil, though all having big names too, have a younger mix of talent that are on lower salaries and bring down the total. Looking at the market values of each nation too, it’s evident that the salaries don’t always match up to a player’s worth.

Team USA is evidently continuing on with its upward trajectory, as its players begin to impact teams in top European leagues. This is becoming clearer now more than ever, with Brendan Aaronson featuring regularly for Leeds United, Folarin Balogun playing up front for AS Monaco, and Sergiño Dest being a starter for PSV Eindhoven. So, though their wage bill for the 2026 World Cup isn’t the highest, who knows what it could be in the coming tournaments if these players continue on their trajectories?

Now that you’re caught up on the salaries of different World Cup teams, you may want to stay up to date with World Cup updates and odds. If you do, Hard Rock Bet has got you covered. Just check out our sportsbook and news page to find everything you’ll need!

Methodology

This dataset ranks international soccer squads based on both the total weekly club salaries of players selected in their current soccer World Cup squads and the combined market value of those players.

Player salary data reflects estimated gross weekly wages earned at club level. This includes base salaries and, where consistently reported, guaranteed bonuses.

For each nation, total squad salary is calculated as the sum of individual player weekly salaries, while total market value is calculated as the sum of each player’s estimated market value.

Squad lists are correct as of 26 March 2026.

All salary figures have been standardized and converted into US Dollars (USD) using exchange rates as of 26 March 2026 to ensure consistency across countries and leagues.