The 11 Highest Paid Players at the 2026 World Cup: Full List and Earnings Breakdown

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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already a tournament of firsts. It is the first edition to feature 48 teams, the first to be hosted across three countries, the United States, Canada and Mexico, and the first to feature two billionaire players on the pitch. According to a new Forbes ranking, the 11 highest paid players competing at this summer’s tournament collectively earned an estimated 950 million dollars over the past 12 months, led once again by Cristiano Ronaldo.

For fans following the financial side of the world’s biggest sporting event, the list offers a clear picture of how soccer’s earnings landscape has shifted, who is cashing in on endorsement deals, and which younger stars are beginning to close the gap on the established names.

How Forbes calculated earnings for the 2026 World Cup’s highest paid players

Before looking at the numbers, it helps to understand what they actually represent. The Forbes ranking tracks each player’s earnings over the 12 months leading up to the tournament, with all figures converted to US dollars using exchange rates as of May 2026 and rounded to the nearest million.

Two components make up each total. On-field earnings reflect the 2025 to 2026 club season, including base salaries, bonuses and, in some cases, club-based image rights agreements. Off-field earnings cover income from endorsements, licensing, appearances, memorabilia and any businesses in which a player holds a significant stake. Forbes excludes investment income such as interest or dividends, does not deduct taxes or agent fees, and leaves out transfer fees entirely. For players such as Ronaldo and Messi, where club or league sponsors are believed to subsidise playing contracts, that value is folded into the on-field figure rather than counted separately.

Why Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi lead the list as soccer’s first billionaire players

At the top of the list sits Cristiano Ronaldo, with an estimated 300 million dollars in total earnings, made up of 235 million dollars on the field and 65 million dollars off it. The 41-year-old Portugal captain, who plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, has now topped Forbes’ overall list of the world’s highest-paid athletes across any sport for four consecutive years. His total places him alongside boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr for the largest single-year haul Forbes has ever recorded for an athlete, and it helped push his career earnings past two billion dollars while still active, a milestone matched by only a handful of athletes in history.

In second place is Lionel Messi, with 140 million dollars, split evenly between 70 million dollars on the field and 70 million dollars off it. Like Ronaldo, the 38 year old Argentina captain has joined the ranks of the world’s billionaires, and he is set to make his sixth World Cup appearance, a record he shares with Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Messi enters the tournament needing four goals to overtake Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals, and he remains one of the most heavily marketed athletes at the tournament, with campaigns for Adidas and Michelob Ultra running alongside the competition.

The full list of the 2026 World Cup’s highest paid players

The table below sets out all 11 players, their nationalities, ages, and the breakdown between on field and off field earnings over the past 12 months.

Rank	Player	Nationality	Age	Total earnings (US dollars)	On field	Off field
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	41	300 million	235 million	65 million
2	Lionel Messi	Argentina	38	140 million	70 million	70 million
3	Kylian Mbappe	France	27	95 million	70 million	25 million
4	Erling Haaland	Norway	25	80 million	60 million	20 million
5	Vinicius Jr	Brazil	25	60 million	40 million	20 million
6	Mohamed Salah	Egypt	33	55 million	35 million	20 million
7	Sadio Mane	Senegal	34	54 million	50 million	4 million
8	Jude Bellingham	England	22	44 million	29 million	15 million
9	Lamine Yamal	Spain	18	43 million	33 million	10 million
10	Harry Kane	England	32	41 million	29 million	12 million
11	Neymar	Brazil	34	38 million	10 million	28 million

How on field salaries compare with endorsement income across the list

One of the more interesting patterns in this year’s list is how unevenly the on-field and off-field income is split. For most players, club salary remains the dominant source of earnings. Erling Haaland, fresh off a contract extension with Manchester City, earns 60 million dollars on the field against 20 million dollars off it, while Sadio Mane’s earnings are even more heavily weighted toward his Al Nassr salary, at 50 million dollars on the field versus just 4 million dollars off it.

Neymar stands out as the clearest exception. Of his 38 million dollar total, only 10 million dollars comes from his on field salary at Brazilian club Santos, while 28 million dollars comes from endorsements and other ventures, the largest off field share of anyone in the top 11 relative to their total earnings. Messi’s even split, 70 million dollars on each side, reflects both his Inter Miami contract, which runs on Major League Soccer’s calendar year schedule rather than the European season, and his continued pulling power for global brands.

Which rising stars are closing the earnings gap at this World Cup

Beyond the established names, the list captures a generational shift underway in soccer’s earnings landscape. Jude Bellingham, at 22, ranks eighth with 44 million dollars, built on a Real Madrid contract that followed his blockbuster transfer from Borussia Dortmund, one of the largest fees in the sport’s history. Lamine Yamal, at just 18, ranks ninth with 43 million dollars, a figure built on a Barcelona salary alongside a growing endorsement portfolio that includes American Eagle, Coca Cola, McDonald’s, Powerade and Visa.

Both players illustrate how quickly elite young talents can move into the sport’s top earning bracket once major transfers and global sponsorship deals fall into place, often years before they reach the peak of their playing careers.

What record ticket prices reveal about the commercial scale of the 2026 World Cup

Player earnings are only one part of the financial story around this tournament. FIFA listed a ticket for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey at 32,970 dollars, three times the price of an equivalent ticket released earlier in the year and more than 20 times what the comparable seat cost at the 2022 final in Qatar. On the resale market, FIFA’s official platform listed seats to the final for close to 2.3 million dollars each, according to reporting from the Associated Press.

Set against that backdrop, even the 300 million dollars earned by the tournament’s top paid player looks like one piece of a much larger commercial machine built around the 48 team, three nation format, which is expected to be the most lucrative World Cup in the competition’s 96 year history.

Why Sadio Mane’s presence matters for African representation at the 2026 World Cup

Among the highest earners, Sadio Mane is the only player representing an African nation, and his presence carries weight beyond his 54 million dollar earnings. The Senegal winger led his country to the Africa Cup of Nations final in January, only for the title to be stripped two months later after a protest related to a penalty decision against Morocco. He missed the 2022 World Cup through injury, and a strong showing in 2026 could help Senegal reach the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years, while also shaping his next club move once his Al Nassr contract expires.

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, sixth on the list with 55 million dollars, is also worth watching from an African football perspective. Salah is entering the tournament as a free agent after agreeing to leave Liverpool a year early, and he leads Egypt into a group against Belgium, Iran and New Zealand as the Pharaohs look to record their first ever World Cup match win.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the highest paid player at the 2026 World Cup? Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list with an estimated 300 million dollars in total earnings over the past 12 months, made up of 235 million dollars on the field and 65 million dollars off the field.

How much did Lionel Messi earn heading into the 2026 World Cup? Messi ranks second with an estimated 140 million dollars, split evenly between 70 million dollars in on field earnings from Inter Miami and 70 million dollars in off field income.

How does Forbes calculate these earnings figures? Forbes tracks each player’s earnings over the 12 months before the tournament, converting figures to US dollars using May 2026 exchange rates. On field earnings cover salaries, bonuses and image rights, while off field earnings cover endorsements, licensing and business interests. Taxes, agent fees and transfer fees are excluded.

Which African players are on the highest paid list? Sadio Mane of Senegal ranks seventh with 54 million dollars, and Mohamed Salah of Egypt ranks sixth with 55 million dollars, making them the only two players from African nations in the top 11.

Is Nigeria playing at the 2026 World Cup? No. The Super Eagles did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup after losing to DR Congo in a penalty shootout during the African play offs, and a subsequent appeal to FIFA was unsuccessful.

How much do the highest paid players earn combined? The 11 highest paid players at the 2026 World Cup collectively earned an estimated 950 million dollars over the past 12 months, according to Forbes.

Who is the youngest player on the highest paid list? Lamine Yamal of Spain, at 18 years old, is the youngest, ranking ninth with 43 million dollars in total earnings.

How expensive are tickets for the 2026 World Cup final? FIFA listed a ticket for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium at 32,970 dollars, three times the price of an earlier ticket release and more than 20 times the cost of an equivalent seat at the 2022 final in Qatar.

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