Lamin Yamal has emerged as the world's most valuable footballer, priced at a staggering 200 million euros according to Transfermarkt's latest rankings of national teams participating in the 2026 World Cup qualification phase. The teenage "Barcelona" sensation leads the valuation charts while his national team, Spain, nearly matches France for the top spot in the team rankings.
France sits at the summit with a combined value of 1.28 billion euros spread across 23 players. The French squad features Kylian Mbappe as their most valuable asset at 180 million euros, though this falls short of Yamal's astronomical price tag.
"The valuation gap between the top national teams and the rest continues to widen," football economist Martin Reynolds might observe. "We're seeing unprecedented figures for young talents like Yamal."
With minimal separation, Spain follows closely behind with a team valuation of 1.27 billion euros for their 25-player squad. Yamal's 200-million-euro price tag not only makes him Spain's most valuable player but currently the costliest footballer worldwide.
England completes the top three with a team value of 961 million euros (25 players), led by Jude Bellingham who matches Mbappe's 180-million-euro valuation. Interestingly, the gap between second-placed Spain and third-placed England is significantly wider than that between France and Spain.
The top five is rounded out by Portugal (849 million euros, 23 players) and Italy (795 million euros, 23 players). Worth noting, both these football powerhouses feature considerably lower individual player valuations, with Vitinha and Alessandro Bastoni each valued at 80 million euros for their respective nations.
Does this financial hierarchy accurately reflect the competitive balance heading into the World Cup qualifiers? Only time will tell if the most expensive squads translate their monetary value into on-field success.
