2026 World Cup: Top 10 most valuable players in Group A

24.06.26 FT World Cup

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Group A of the 2026 World Cup features Mexico—one of the three host nations—alongside South Korea, Czechia, and South Africa.

Kang-in Lee, the dynamic attacking midfielder from South Korea, tops the list as the most valuable player among the four squads in this opening group. The Paris Saint-Germain standout is valued at €28 million according to the specialist site Transfermarkt. The Namdong-gu native has netted 4 goals and provided 5 assists across 39 appearances in all competitions this season.

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The 25-year-old is closely followed by two Czech stars: Wolverhampton's central defender Ladislav Krejčí (€22M) and Olympique Lyonnais attacking midfielder Pavel Šulc (€20M).

Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and AC Milan striker Santiago Giménez round out the top five, with the latter sharing his market value with Patrik Schick and Lukáš Horníček (Czechia).

Here's the ranking of the most valuable players in Group A:

1- Kang-in Lee (South Korea): €28.00M

2- Ladislav Krejčí (Czechia): €22.00M

3- Pavel Šulc (Czechia): €20.00M

4- Kim Min-jae (South Korea): €20.00M

5- Santiago Giménez (Mexico): €18.00M

6- Patrik Schick (Czechia): €18.00M

7- Lukáš Horníček (Czechia): €18.00M

8- Edson Álvarez (Mexico): €15.00M

9- Armando González (Mexico): €15.00M

10- Son Heung-min (South Korea): €15.00M

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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