The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the largest edition in the tournament's history.
The expansion from 32 to 48 teams will see the number of matches increase from 64 to 104, with 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States staging the competition.
Ahead of kick-off, Football Benchmark has published its Guide to the FIFA World Cup 2026, examining key financial, commercial and sporting aspects of the tournament.
The report combines original Football Benchmark analysis with broader tournament data, covering topics from tournament economics and prize money distribution to players’ market valuation rankings, club and league representation, as well as player workload trends.
Commenting on the report's findings, Andrea Sartori, Founder & CEO of Football Benchmark, said:
"The FIFA World Cup has always been football's biggest stage but the data illustrates how much the tournament has evolved. FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the largest edition ever staged, reflecting both the growing scale of the competition and the increasing global reach of the game. From the growth in revenues and prize money to the concentration of talent within a relatively small number of clubs, leagues, and national teams, our guide to the tournament provides a unique snapshot of many of the financial, commercial and sporting trends shaping the game today."
World Cup revenues are expected to more than triple since Germany 2006
The commercial scale of the FIFA World Cup continues to grow. According to reported estimates, the 2026 edition is expected to generate between $8.5 billion and $9.5 billion in revenue, more than three times the $2.6 billion generated by the 2006 edition in Germany twenty years ago.
Participating nations will also compete for increased financial rewards. Teams qualifying for the tournament will receive a $10 million participation fee, while the eventual winners could earn up to $51 million.
The report explores how revenues, costs, and financial distributions have evolved across recent editions of the tournament, alongside analysis of FIFA's sponsorship portfolio and the commercial ecosystem supporting football's biggest event.
Premier League leads league representation as Manchester City tops club rankings
The Premier League has supplied 163 players to the tournament, accounting for 13% of all players selected and comfortably more than any other domestic league. The Bundesliga ranks second with 101 players, followed by La Liga (81), Ligue 1 (79) and Serie A (66).
Europe's “Big Five” leagues account for 490 players, representing 39% of all World Cup participants, underlining the continued concentration of elite talent within a relatively small number of competitions.
At club level, Manchester City FC leads with 19 representatives, ahead of FC Bayern Munich with 18. UEFA Champions League finalists Arsenal FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC each contribute 16 players, while FC Barcelona rounds out the top five with 15. The Premier League’s increasing dominance is also reflected by a data point that was unthinkable a decade ago: Crystal Palace FC sent two more players to the tournament than Real Madrid CF (12 vs 10).
The analysis also highlights the growing influence of leagues outside Europe. The Saudi Pro League supplies 47 players to the tournament, making it the sixth-most-represented competition overall, while Major League Soccer contributes 44. Al Hilal is the highest-ranked non-European club with 12 representatives.
France tops squad valuation rankings as elite talent remains concentrated among a handful of nations
France enters the tournament with the most valuable squad, worth approximately €1.57 billion according to Football Benchmark's player valuation methodology. Spain (€1.47 billion) and England (€1.42 billion) follow closely behind, with Germany (€1.05 billion) and Portugal (€992 million) completing the top five. Together, those five nations account for €6.5 billion of player value, representing more than a third of the total value of all 48 squads at the tournament.
Beyond overall squad values, the report identifies the most valuable player in each participating nation and ranks the tournament's most valuable U21 players. The analysis also highlights the most valuable players who will miss the competition. Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (€116.5 million) is the most notable absentee due to his national team failing to qualify, while England duo Cole Palmer (€104.3 million) and Phil Foden (€96.5 million) rank as the most valuable players not selected despite their country's participation.
The report also examines squad age profiles across all 48 nations. The average squad age across the tournament is 27.9 years. Côte d'Ivoire arrives with the youngest squad at an average age of 25.8 years, while Panama has the oldest group at 30.4 years.
Spain's squad has accumulated the most “Big Five” league minutes in the past year
Player workload remains one of the game's most closely scrutinised issues as football continues to adapt to expanded and newly introduced competitions across both the club and international landscape. Given this, the report analyses the demands placed on players in the 12 months leading up to the tournament.
Among players competing in leagues that follow the European football calendar, Spain's Martín Zubimendi recorded the highest number of appearances between June 2025 and May 2026, featuring in 68 matches with his club and national team. Belgium's Hans Vanaken and England's Declan Rice follow with 66 appearances each, while Virgil van Dijk and Morgan Rogers complete the top five with 65. The rankings are dominated by players from clubs competing across multiple domestic and international competitions, highlighting the increasing demands placed on elite footballers throughout the season.
To assess the difference in the quality of playing time, we have also reviewed the number of minutes played in Europe's "Big Five" leagues by each squad. Spain's players have accumulated the most such league minutes among the 48 participating nations, totalling 62,490 minutes across its 26 selected players. England (61,717), France (60,810), Germany (59,133) and the Netherlands (53,936) complete the top five.
A comprehensive guide to FIFA World Cup 2026
The findings highlighted above represent only a selection of the insights in Football Benchmark’s Guide to the FIFA World Cup 2026. Beyond the rankings and statistics featured here, the report explores host cities and stadiums, historical World Cup performance, sponsors, player audience reach, and other financial, commercial, and sporting factors shaping the tournament.
As the football world turns its attention to North America, the guide provides a comprehensive reference point for understanding football's biggest event both on and off the pitch.
