2026 FIFA World Cup: Five Football Players whose Market value has exploded

The FIFA World Cup is undoubtedly one of the grandest stages in the world of sports and any player who performs against the top nations will attract massive attention, not just from club scouts or top managers but also major brands who flock around these players to represent them. 

There have been many standout performers at the ongoing FIFA World Cup but a few of them have produced match-winning, stellar and consistent performances. Here we take a look at five players whose brand value has soared due to their exceptional performances or their immense popularity – 

Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland’s debut World Cup campaign went much better than expected as he scored 7 goals and took his team to the quarter-finals stage, beating Ivory Coast and the former champions Brazil in the knockouts. 

Haaland’s visit to North America sparked a frenzy, mainly amongst the American fans on social media as he started flooding memes and gained unprecedented popularity levels with his superb performances and calm and funny demeanour. Haaland’s growing popularity in China has already earned him brand association with Chinese brands before the tournament even started and now with the Norwegian becoming a phenomenon in North America, brands are starting to queue in for the Manchester City striker. According to Sports Business Journal, “In the space of a month, Haaland has “done five years’ worth of brand acceleration.” 

He has earned 25 million Instagram followers over a span of three weeks with 12.5 million just during the knockout stages, reaching 69 million followers on Instagram. 

Michael Olise 

France and Bayern Munich star Michael Olise also made his World Cup debut after a phenomenal season with the Bundesliga giants. His exciting style of play and his nonchalant attitude has earned him a lot of fanfare during the World Cup. 

Olise broke Pelé’s record for the most assists in a single World Cup tournament with seven assists at this World Cup. He played as a 10 in a playmaker role and helped France reach the World Cup semis. Although he played in a star-studded French team, Olise’s performances were lauded as much as that of Kylian Mbappé who scored the most goals at the tournament. 

Olise has also seen his brand value rise at this World Cup. He has earned between 4.2 to 5.8 million new Instagram followers during the competition. Although Olise has prioritized comfort, freedom and kit aesthetics and holds zero brand endorsement deals currently, his overall market valuation has increased, making him a prime target for big clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City. 

If Olise does want to entertain mega money boot deals, there would be the biggest global brands (Nike, PUMA, Adidas) vying for his signature as he is one of the best players in the world right now and this may be the time to monetize his rising global popularity. 

Lamine Yamal  

Lamine Yamal came into this World Cup as one of the most exciting young talents to watch in the tournament. Although from an individual performance perspective, Yamal didn’t really take the World Cup by storm but his team Spain managed to win the World Cup which has elevated Yamal’s brand value to massive levels. 

His social media numbers have also seen a huge shift with the Spanish winger gaining more than 11 million followers on Instagram during the World Cup. He had already signed a mega money deal with American Eagle ahead of the World Cup but his post World Cup era is surely going to hit new levels. He is already associated with global brands like Adidas, Coca Cola and VISA. Winning the World Cup at 19 years old has completely shifted his timeline from ‘One for the Future’ to ‘the Present Global icon’. 

Top brands are now surely going to line up for the Spain and Barcelona winger. Along with his market valuation already crossing an eye-watering €200 million, the young winger is going to be swamped by brand collaborations in the coming year. 

Kylian Mbappé

When it comes to the World Cup, one name has remained common amongst the top performers since 2018 and that is Kylian Mbappé. The Real Madrid and France superstar has never disappointed. Mbappé bagged his consecutive Golden Boot award at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring 10 goals in seven games and leading France to the semi-finals where they lost to eventual winners Spain. 

Mbappé is already the third highest paid athlete behind Ronaldo and Messi and one of the most marketable sporting stars. Also playing at one of the biggest clubs in the world helps with attracting major brands to collaborate. Mbappé already has an impressive portfolio of major brands that include Nike, Hublot, Dior, Oakley and EA Sports. 

While his market valuation remains unchanged at a staggering €200 million, World Cups’ all time highest goal-scorer has just raised the stakes higher. Mbappe gained around 4 million followers during the World Cup taking his social media numbers to an impressive 135 million followers on Instagram. 

Although he couldn’t lead France to a World Cup trophy, these performances at the World Cup are definitely going to land him more lucrative brand endorsement deals, raising his yearly earnings significantly. 

Jude Bellingham

England’s most impressive performer at the World Cup, Jude Bellingham was one of the major reasons that England ended this World Cup in third-place

The Real Madrid midfielder had a phenomenal tournament with seven goals and an assist, leading his side into the World Cup semi-finals. He gained between 4 – 12 million followers on Instagram during the Word Cup. Bellingham is already a footballing superstar and one of the most marketable athletes in the world of sport. With brands like Adidas, Louis Vuitton, ONSIDE and Lucozade collaborating with the young Englishmen, he is already adding massive yearly earnings from brand deals. However, this World Cup campaign will further elevate him to higher levels, making him a brand favourite. 

Already playing for Real Madrid comes with a major advantage as it’s one of the biggest football clubs in the world and that alone attracts major brands to its players but Bellingham is also an extraordinary footballer and his achievements add to the charm. We have no doubt that his already bulging portfolio of lucrative brand deals will get heavier after this World Cup as he is one of the top young stars to follow in the coming years and his performance at the World Cup may have just propelled him into the top tier.