The highest paid players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ranked
When it’s all said and done, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will have more losers than winners. But when players are bringing home this much cash, aren’t they all winners?
By Cayle Reid
IN THE EXCEEDINGLY unlikely case that you’re blissfully unaware of how much footballers make, allow us to make it crystal clear: a lot.
Few occupations pay more than that of the professional footballer, which is hardly surprising. Firmly entrenched as the world’s most popular sport, football reels in big money. The 2026 World Cup (the biggest in history), will inevitably bring in even more money – and some of it does, assuredly, trickle down to the players. This is the first world cup to feature a billionaire on the field, after all – and there’s two of them.
Football players have always been well paid. It’s only recently that they’ve transcended their on-field roles to become full-scale celebrities and the faces of global brands – which of course, has only added to their massive salaries. The expansion of domestic leagues outside of football’s traditional European stronghold has also led to an uptick in pay packages, with the USA, China and the Middle East emerging as new sources of footballing wealth.
With the 2026 World Cup underway, we figured it was time we nail down exactly who the ten highest paid players at the tournament are. So, read on and find out.
All figures have been converted to AUD and are accurate as of July 2, 2026.
Who are the highest paid players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
10. Harry Kane
Salary: $59 million
England’s captain makes most of his money from his contract with German giants Bayern Munich. That said, he does have long-standing relationships with Cadbury, Nike and Mars – the bars, not the planet. More recently, he signed on as an ambassador for Skechers.
9. Lamine Yamal
Salary: $62 million
Earlier this year, Lamine Yamal signed an endorsement deal with American Eagle, and he is being featured in campaigns for Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Powerade and Visa. A reminder: he is 18 years old. This is an absurd amount of money for someone that age to have. Hopefully he’s sensible with how he spends it.
8. Jude Bellingham
Salary: $64 million
The first of three Real Madrid players on this list, Jude Bellingham is a beneficiary of being on the payroll of one of the world’s richest clubs. Though as one of his sport’s brightest young stars, he’s not short on options when it comes to sponsorships, either. He’s the global face of Adidas’ flagship ‘Predator’ model, an ambassador for Louis Vuitton, and – less glamorously – the lead ambassador for Lucozade.
7. Sadio Mané
Salary: $78 million
Sadio Mané’s Senegal have now been eliminated from the world cup. The Lions of Teranga scored ten goals in just four games, but it wasn’t enough to advance beyond the round of 32. Mané, for his part, was a huge under-performer. Typically the nation’s primary attacking threat, Mané failed to score during the tournament. With his contract at Al-Nassr winding up, he may have trouble finding another suitor willing to pay him this much.
6. Mohamed Salah
Salary: $80 million
Liverpool’s Egyptian King will move on from his domestic club this season, but he still earns more than almost every other player at the world cup. His major endorsements include deals with Adidas, Pepsi and Vodafone, as well as associations with Gucci and Audemars Piguet in the luxury space.
5. Vinicius Jr
Salary: $90 million
Real Madrid, one of the richest clubs in the world, pays masterful winger Vini Jr well. And in his native land of Brazil, one of the world’s most football-mad nations, sponsorship opportunities are not hard to come by. Vini Jr is a Nike athlete, a BOSS, Pepsi and Apple ambassador; and he was also the recent subject of a Fortnite skin – a great honour that comes with a decent pay package, we’re sure.
4. Erling Haaland
Salary: $120 million
As the most prolific goal-scorer in football, Erling Haaland is rightfully also one of the sport’s highest paid players. His contract with Manchester City nets him most of his earnings, but world cup advertising campaigns with Nike and Budweiser have given his wallet a nice boost.
3. Kylian Mbappé
Salary: $140 million
Mbappé won his first world cup title with France at just 19 years of age and looks a decent chance of adding to his trophy collection. He is one of football’s most popular and marketable players, with an extensive sponsorship portfolio. He is an ambassador for Nike and Hublot and signed a new endorsement deal with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in the lead up to this world cup. He also recently joined health insurer Alan as an investor.
2. Lionel Messi
Salary: $200 million
One of two billionaires playing at this world cup, roughly half of Lionel Messi’s earnings come from his off-field endeavours. Truly, Messi has been everywhere during the world cup, appearing in marketing campaigns for Adidas, Michelob Ultra and on a limited-edition cup from McDonalds. These commitments do indeed pay rather handsomely – especially for someone who, famously, doesn’t speak English in public.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Salary: $435 million
According to Forbes, Ronaldo is the highest earning athlete from any sport. The 41-year-old’s frankly enormous income, which mostly stems from his playing wages, adds up to a net worth of $2.2 billion. At his sixth World Cup, Ronaldo is still chasing that elusive trophy, the one piece of hardware missing from his otherwise GOAT-worthy portfolio.
Related:
These are the 10 richest footballers of all time
