2026 World Cup: Top 20 most valuable defenders of the tournament

13.06.26 FT World Cup

Brazil

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Morocco

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Arsenal's William Saliba stands as the most valuable defender of the 2026 World Cup. The French center-back is valued at €100 million by the specialist site Transfermarkt.

Three Paris players share second place: Willian Pacho, Achraf Hakimi, and Nuno Mendes, joined by Barcelona's Pau Cubarsí. All four defenders are estimated at €80 million.

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Brazilian Gabriel ranks sixth, ahead of Marc Guéhi, Nico O'Reilly, Dayot Upamecano, Joško Gvardiol, and Jurriën Timber, each with a market value of €70 million.

Uzbekistan's Abdukodir Khusanov, France's Maxence Lacroix, and Ecuador's Piero Hincapié are the surprise inclusions in this Top 20.

Here are the 20 most valuable defenders of the tournament:

1- William Saliba (France): €100.00M

2- Willian Pacho (Ecuador): €80.00M

3- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco): €80.00M

4- Nuno Mendes (Portugal): €80.00M

5- Pau Cubarsí (Spain): €80.00M

6- Gabriel Magalhães (Brazil): €75.00M

7- Marc Guéhi (England): €70.00M

8- Nico O'Reilly (England): €70.00M

9- Dayot Upamecano (France): €70.00M

10- Joško Gvardiol (Croatia): €70.00M

11- Jurriën Timber (Netherlands): €70.00M

12- Jules Koundé (France): €65.00M

13- Reece James (England): €60.00M

14- Luka Vušković (Croatia): €60.00M

15- Rúben Dias (Portugal): €55.00M

16- Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany): €55.00M

17- Abdukodir Khusanov (Uzbekistan): €50.00M

18- Piero Hincapié (Ecuador): €50.00M

19- Maxence Lacroix (France): €50.00M

20- Matheus Nunes (Portugal): €50.00M

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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