The 10 Most Marketable Soccer Players in 2026: Ronaldo Usurped by World Cup Sensation
SportsPro unveiled its annual ranking of the most marketable athletes in the world and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo as the world's most marketable soccer player in 2026. For the 17th year running, Sports business and media company SportsPro has released itsfull reportof the 50 most marketable athletes in the world.
Women's tennis superstar Aryna Sabalenka topped the rankings-which actually include 150 athletes-in 2026. The rankings are based on the marketability score out of 100 that SportsPro builds "from three composite pillars: Brand Equity (45), Momentum (40) and Commercial Trajectory (15).
This year, SportsPro's rankings are from data collected on over 1,000 athletes from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. In the 17-year history of the rankings, soccer stars have claimed the top spot six times.
Neymar was the first when he topped the rankings in 2012 and 2013, followed by Paul Pogba in 2018, Lionel Messi in 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2022 and Messi again in 2023. Ronaldo was the highest soccer player in the 2025 rankings with a fifth-place finish, but Haaland has taken over the honor as the most marketable soccer player in the world in 2026.
Erling Haaland: The Most Marketable Soccer Player in the World Erling Haaland's brand rose exponentially during the World Cup. The prolific Manchester City and Norway goalscorer is the only soccer player to feature inside the top 10 of the rankings, coming in fourth only behind Sabalenka, Chinese-America skier Eileen Gu and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In a sense, it's not surprising to see Haaland top the standings following a summer in which he fully introduced himself to the U. market and became an absolute sensation.
Haaland led Norway to its greatest World Cup performance in history while simultaneouslybecoming the heart of the 2026 World Cup, making fans in North America fall in love with him for his charismatic personality, online presence and his talent on the pitch. Haaland's successful YouTube channel is credited as a significant reason for his high ranking.
Ronaldo is the second highest ranked soccer player in 14th, followed by the Real Madrid duo of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in 19th and 20th respectively. Interestingly, three spots behind Vinícius Jr comes Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal in 23rd, just one spot above past two-time top-ranked Neymar, who continues to be one of the sport's biggest names despite him no longer competing at an elite level.
They might not mesh incredibly well together on the pitch, but kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior are unquestionably two of the faces of the sport. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact the next soccer entry on the list is Canada international Alphonso Davies at 34, the only North American men's soccer player included in the top 150."