
- Around £9 billion ($US12 billion) worth of players will be on show at this year’s World Cup in Russia.
- The world’s top three players – Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – are worth more than the nine least valuable teams combined.
- Scroll down to see how much each squad is worth, from lowest to highest.
In football, cash is king, and while the World Cup is a welcome break for most of us from the ludicrous transfer fees and ever rising price of replica shirts, there’s still an awful lot of money involved.
But which team at this summer’s World Cup, which starts on Thursday in Moscow, is worth the most money in the market?
Using data from football data site Transfermarkt, analysts at Dutch bank ING have calculated that around £9 billion ($US12 billion) will be on show at the tournament, with Spain being the most valuable team – it’s worth more than £900 million ($US1.2 billion).
Big European and South American sides dominate the upper echelons of player worth, while minnows like Panama and Saudi Arabia dwell at the bottom end of the charts.
In fact, the world’s top three players – Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – are worth more than the nine least valuable teams combined, ING calculated.
“Some say the football market is highly inflated – and it’s certainly astonishing to see the significant increase in team values from the last World Cup,” Ian Bright, a senior economist at ING said. “But whether you truly get value for money is a question that only fans can answer.”
Check out how much every squad at the World Cup is worth below.
32. Panama
Squad value: £8.7 million ($US11.7 million)
31. Saudi Arabia
Squad value: £15.1 million ($US20.2 million)
30. Peru
Squad value: £32.6 million ($US43.6 million)
29. Costa Rica
Squad value: £37.02 million ($US49.5 million)
28. Iran
Squad value: £37.4 million ($US50 million)
27. Australia
Squad value: £43.6 million ($US58.4 million)
26. Tunisia
Squad value: £46.2 million ($US61.8 million)
25. Japan
Squad value: £61.5 million ($US82.3 million)
24. Iceland
Squad value: £65.1 million ($US87.1 million)
23. South Korea
Squad value: £74.2 million ($US96.9 million)
22. Sweden
Squad value: £103.4 million ($US138.4 million)
21. Russia
Squad value: £104.6 million ($US140 million)
20. Morocco
Squad value: £105.5 million ($US141.2 million)
19. Nigeria
Squad value: £115.1 million ($US154 million)
18. Mexico
Squad value: £129.4 million ($US173.2 million)
17. Egypt
Squad value: £172.9 million ($US231.4 million)
16. Switzerland
Squad value: £187.1 million ($US250.4 million)
15. Serbia
Squad value: £211.2 million ($US282.6 million)
14. Denmark
Squad value: £223.6 million ($US299.2 million)
13. Colombia
Squad value: £223.8 million ($US299.5 million)
12. Poland
Squad value: £230.3 million ($US308.2 million)
11. Senegal
Squad value: £247.8 million ($US331.6 million)
10. Croatia
Squad value: £302.5 million ($US405 million)
Most valuable player: Ivan Rakitic – £44 million ($US59 million)
9. Uruguay
Squad value: £323.4 million ($US432.8 million)
Most valuable player: Luis Suarez – £61.5 million ($US82.3 million)
8. Portugal
Squad value: £411.04 million ($US550 million)
Most valuable player: Cristiano Ronaldo – £87.9 million ($US117.7 million)
7. Argentina
Squad value: £614.2 million ($US822 million)
Most valuable player: Lionel Messi – £158.2 million ($US211.7 million)
6. Belgium
Squad value: £660.9 million ($US884.6 million)
Most valuable player: Kevin De Bruyne – £131.9 million ($US176.5 million)
5. England
Squad value: £769.1 million ($US1.02 billion)
Most valuable player: Harry Kane – £131.9 million ($US176.7 million)
4. Germany
Squad value: £771.8 million ($US1.03 billion)
Most valuable player: Toni Kroos – £70.3 million ($US94.1 billion)
3. Brazil
Squad value: £808.01 million ($US1.08 billion)
Most valuable player: Neymar – £158.2 million ($US212 million)
2. France
Squad value: £907.7 million ($US1.215 billion)
Most valuable player: Kylian Mbappe – £105.5 million ($US141 million)
1. Spain
Squad value: £910.8 million ($US1.21 billion)
Most valuable player: Sergio Busquets – £70.3 million ($US94 million)
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