At 5:00 AM Beijing time on July 19th, the third-place match of the 2026 World Cup will officially kick off, with France facing off against England. Coincidentally, these two teams are the two most valuable teams in this World Cup, with France's total squad valued at €1.52 billion and England's at €1.36 billion. The combined squad value of €2.88 billion for this match not only sets a new record for the most valuable match between two teams in this World Cup, but also sets a new record for the highest combined squad value of a single World Cup match.
For the 2026 World Cup, four teams will have a total squad value exceeding €1 billion. France will lead with €1.52 billion, followed by England with €1.36 billion, and Spain (€1.22 billion) and Portugal (€1.01 billion) in third and fourth place respectively. Argentina, who will reach the final, will have a total squad value of approximately €800 million, ranking only eighth among all teams before the start of this World Cup.
Previously, in the first semi-final of this World Cup, the clash between France and Spain set a new record, with the combined squad value of the two teams at 2.74 billion euros breaking the record for the highest squad value in a single World Cup match.
However, this record was soon rewritten. In the third-place match, France and England, the two most valuable teams, faced off directly, and their combined squad value of €2.88 billion made this the most valuable match in World Cup history.
