1. France
Total contract value: $1.1 billion
Highest-paid player: Kylian Mbappe
If you didn’t know it before, you know it now: France tops the list of the most valuable teams at the 2018 World Cup. Its top players play for the biggest clubs all over Europe, and nearly all of them earn healthy paychecks for their efforts.
2. Spain
Total contract value: $1.06 billion
Highest-paid player: Sergio Busquets
Spain’s roster might not have the same kind of name recognition as the other teams on this list, but almost every player is swimming in money. Sergio Busquets earns a very nice living playing for Barcelona, but nine other players on the team join him making more than $60 million.
3. Brazil
Total contract value: $1 billion
Highest-paid player: Neymar
Brazilian superstar Neymar is usually mentioned in the same breath with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when discussing the best soccer players in the world. He’s paid like it, too. Thanks to Neymar’s massive contract from Paris St. Germain, Brazil is worth about $1 billion and is one of the most valuable teams in the 2018 World Cup.
4. Germany
Total contract value: $901 million
Highest-paid player: Toni Kroos
We’ve encountered high-paid stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne, and Harry Kane so far, and while Germany has its share of stars it’s the slew of mid-size contracts that put it on the list. Toni Kroos earns about $94 million from Real Madrid, but Mats Hummels, Thomas Muller, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Timo Werner all make about the same amount from their respective clubs.
5. England
Total contract value: $892 million
Highest-paid player: Harry Kane
England hasn’t won a World Cup since hosting the tournament in 1966, but the drought isn’t impacting how much the team’s stars make from their club teams. Buoyed by Harry Kane’s huge new contract from Tottenham, England is one of the most valuable teams in the World Cup.
6. Belgium
Total contract value: $770 million
Highest-paid player: Kevin De Bruyne
Do you want to know why tiny Belgium makes the cut as one of the most valuable teams at the 2018 World Cup? It’s because of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku. That trio play for Manchester City, Chelsea, and Manchester United, respectively, in the English Premier League. Those three clubs are among the most valuable in the world, and they pay their stars accordingly.
7. Argentina
Total contract value: $707 million
Highest-paid player: Lionel Messi
You can’t mention well-paid soccer superstars and not mention Lionel Messi. He’s still active, yet he’s one of the richest athletes of all time. Messi and teammates Paulo Dybala, Sergio Aguero, and Gonzalo Higuain are all worth a ton of money on the open market, according to TransferMarkt, which is why Argentina is one of the most valuable teams at the 2018 World Cup.
8. Portugal
Total contract value: $474 million
Highest-paid player: Cristiano Ronaldo
When you have an international superstar such as Cristiano Ronaldo making more than $60 million a year in salary, you knew Portugal would show up among the most valuable teams at the 2018 World Cup. Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva have large contracts, but the rest of the team is well behind that pair when it comes to salary.
9. Uruguay
Total contract value: $380 million
Highest-paid player: Luis Suarez
With only about 3.3 million people Uruguay is one of the least-populous countries in the field, but it’s also one of the most valuable teams at the 2018 World Cup. Luis Suarez’s huge Barcelona payday is the largest for Uruguay, though Edinson Cavani, Jose Gimenez, and Diego Godin are well-paid, too.
10. Croatia
Total contract value: $367 million
Highest-paid player: Ivan Rakitic
We start our journey along the Adriatic coast in Croatia. Captain and midfielder Luka Modric is the more recognizable name, but according to TransferMarkt, Ivan Rakitic’s mammoth Barcelona contract is the most valuable on the team.








