Forget the starting eleven. The team that wins seven games in 40 days wins it with the bench
Harry Kane scored 61 goals last season. Kylian Mbappé is 27 and playing the best football of his life. Lionel Messi is now 38 and trying to win his second World Cup. Everyone knows the superstars. But here’s the thing about a 40-day, 104-match tournament – the team with the deepest roster almost always wins, because they can take turns playing.
Who starts doesn’t matter. The important question is: who can you still trust when your best midfielder gets a yellow card in the quarterfinal and can’t play in the semi?
The answer isn’t obvious. And it’s not Argentina.
England: the most expensive midfield in tournament history
According to Transfermarkt, the value of all the players in the England team is €1.30 billion. That’s already a really big number. But the really surprising thing is where that money is being spent – the team’s midfield alone is worth €647 million. That’s more than the entire squads of most countries at this tournament.
What this means in practice: If England loses Jude Bellingham, they can bring on the next guy and still have a midfielder capable of playing in the Champions League. That rarely happens at international tournaments. Thomas Tuchel has built a team where the backup plan is really scary. Their defensive numbers back this up too – they paid €366 million for centre-backs and fullbacks. One injury doesn’t mean the back line is broken.
In three of the last four major tournaments, England reached the semi-finals or better. Depth is part of the reason why.
France: no weak spot anywhere
France’s total squad value is €1.29 billion, nearly the same as England’s. But how that money is spread is different. France doesn’t have one area that’s too busy. They’re dangerous everywhere, and the people who replace them are already used to the pressure. Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, and Marcus Thuram will be the strikers. The midfield is covered. The defence was strong. Even the goalkeeper situation is clear.
This will be Didier Deschamps’ last World Cup. The team is aware of this. Dembélé has publicly said that he wants to leave with a trophy. It’s hard to measure this kind of motivation, but it’s real.
France came second in Qatar. They know what it feels like to lose a final. That doesn’t make things less deep – it makes them more sharp.
Spain: depth that doesn’t depend on one position
Spain’s squad is worth €1.15 billion, with almost the same amount spent across areas: €430 million on attack, €363 million on midfield, and €285 million on defence. That balance is exactly what you need to survive a long tournament. You can change the forward line and still score. You can rest a midfielder and still have the technical control. That’s how Spain plays anyway – it’s a system, not a collection of individuals.
Lamine Yamal is 18. He’s already Spain’s best creative player. But Spain shouldn’t worry if he has a quiet game, because Pedri, Dani Olmo, and Rodri are ready to step in. Not many teams at this World Cup can say the same thing about how strong they are in the middle of the pitch.
The only real worry is that there is no top striker. The 0-0 draw with Cape Verde in the first match was a warning. Having a lot of players in the middle of the pitch doesn’t help if the team can’t score goals.
Brazil and Portugal: great attackers, thinner everywhere else
The team is worth €932 million. That sounds good. But €512 million of that is for attacking players like Vinicius Jr., Raphinha, Igor Thiago, and Matheus Cunha. Manager Carlo Ancelotti brought in arguably the most exciting attacking bench at the tournament. The problem is that their defensive and goalkeeping ratings are much lower than those of the top three European teams. That’s not a disaster, but in a knockout game against France or England, it might show.
Brazil also lost young winger Estêvão to injury before the tournament started. The important thing about having a strong squad is that you can see how good they are before the game starts, not just after it.
Portugal has a midfield and defensive depth of €1.12 billion, with €412 million and €334 million going to the midfield and defence, respectively. The squad can adapt in important ways. If Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be 41 during the tournament, has a bad game, the rest of the team can make up for it. Whether or not it does depends on whether Ronaldo lets it.
Argentina: world champions, but not the deepest squad here
Argentina’s current squad is worth €575 million – that makes them ninth on Transfermarkt’s list. That’s not a sign of weakness. The numbers don’t show the same level of performance as in England, France, or Spain. Argentina has the best player in the tournament, Messi, a settled spine from 2022, and the kind of tournament experience that no valuation can measure.
Messi scored three goals in the first match. They really get along. But Alexis Mac Allister had a tough season at Liverpool, Cristian Romero was trying to get fit after a knee injury, and Julián Álvarez had only scored three goals since April. Having a lot of experience is not the same as having a lot of options. Argentina has the first. The second is much thinner than the top five here.
In a long tournament, that difference tends to show up around matchday six. By then, the bench matters as much as the starting eleven. Check the alineaciones Mundial 2026 to see exactly how each squad is being set up game by game.
Frequently asked questions about World Cup 2026 squads
Which team has the best players at the 2026 World Cup?
When it comes to the total value of all the players on a team, England is worth €1.30 billion, just ahead of France at €1.29 billion. But France is considered stronger in all areas of the game, which is why most experts say they are the best team overall.
How many players can each team bring to the 2026 World Cup?
Each team can bring between 23 and 26 players, including at least three goalkeepers. Teams also had to hand in a list of 35 to 55 players. If someone gets hurt before their first match, the team can ask for a player from this list to replace them.
Which team has the best midfield players at the 2026 World Cup?
England. The midfield of this team is worth €647 million – that’s more than the entire squad of most other countries at the tournament. With Bellingham, Saka, and other Premier League players as backups, they can deal with midfield injuries better than anyone.
Will Argentina have a strong team for the 2026 World Cup?
Not by the numbers alone. Argentina’s team is worth €575 million, which puts them ninth in the world. They have experience playing in tournaments, they have a strong team spirit from 2022, and Messi is in top form. That’s a different kind of advantage – real, but not the same as having elite depth across every position.
Why is it so important to have a strong squad of players at the World Cup?
Winning the tournament means playing seven games in about 40 days. There are a lot of games, and players get tired and hurt. Teams that can change their players around while still playing well in the same way often go further than teams that use the same eleven players every game.