Here come the girls. For the past few weeks all eyes have been on the World Cup players landing in the US, Mexico and Canada, swaggering their way through the terminals and onto waiting buses.
But with the warm-up games out of the way, the wives and girlfriends, otherwise known as WAGs, of some of the biggest sporting stars in the world are also arriving.
With the action kicking off on the pitch this week, the Daily Mail has unveiled its latest Power List – a ranking of the wealth, influence and status of the World Cup WAGs.
Leading the pack at number one is Argentine influencer Antonela Roccuzzo, childhood sweetheart and now wife of arguably the tournament’s biggest star, Lionel Messi, 38.
Roccuzzo’s own earnings from her recent forays into sponsorships and endorsements are dwarfed by her husband’s wealth: he recently joined Cristiano Ronaldo in the billionaire club, with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $1.2 billion.
Messi and Ronaldo are the only two team sports players to break the billionaire threshold while still active in their sports. They join an elite group: only LeBron James and Tiger Woods can say the same.
The newly minted billionaire’s wife, however, is far from flashy.
Introduced to Messi by her cousin when she was a young girl, Roccuzzo, also 38, stayed in touch with the soccer player when he moved to Barcelona at the age of 13. When she turned 19, Roccuzzo followed him to Spain.
When they married in the Argentinian city of Rosario a decade later, local press called it the wedding of the century.
For much of her husband’s early career, Roccuzzo was a fixture on the sidelines but kept a relatively low profile, focusing instead on raising the couple’s three sons – Thiago, 12; Mateo, ten; and seven-year-old Ciro – in their hilltop coastal retreat.
But in the summer of 2024 she stepped into the limelight, giving her first-ever interview to Grazia magazine to discuss the family’s move to Miami and promote a new campaign for Adidas.
Her husband, sponsored by Adidas since 2006, said at the time: ‘I have grown up with Antonela, and I have also grown up with Adidas, so it is incredible that these two parts of my life can now come together.’
Several months later, she spoke to Haute Living to show off Tiffany jewelry, and in June 2025 she scored her first Vogue cover for the Latin America edition, saying that she was enjoying having more time to herself and her own priorities.
‘My sons were young, and my priority was being at home with them,’ she told the magazine. ‘Now they are older – the youngest is seven – I don’t feel so guilty and I’m ready to do new things. I feel more free, and more open to take advantage of the opportunities coming my way.’
Leading the pack at number one is Argentine influencer Antonela Roccuzzo, childhood sweetheart and now wife of Lionel Messi
Now with 40 million followers on social media, she is seizing the moment – as are advertisers.
In addition to working with Tiffany, the fitness fanatic has signed deals with Alo Yoga as well as beauty brand Anastasia Beverly Hills. Roccuzzo also works with an Argentine educational charity, Estudiar es Mejor, which supports vulnerable students.
Equally savvy is the wife of 41-year-old Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, Georgina Rodriguez, who comes in at second place in our Power List.
Like Roccuzzo, Rodriguez’s own wealth pales in comparison to her husband’s. In October 2025, Ronaldo became the first soccer player to become a billionaire during his playing career, largely thanks to his contract with Saudi club Al Nassr. The deal, worth a reported $400 million a year, is tax free.
But in hiring Ronaldo, the Saudis effectively got two for the price of one.
His Buenos Aires-born wife has a social media following to make other WAGs wild with envy. She has accumulated a worldwide following of 73 million on Instagram, as her profile rocketed following the 2022 launch of Netflix reality show I Am Georgina.
The show, which ran for three seasons, saw Rodriguez and Ronaldo discuss their June 2016 meeting in Madrid. Their meet-cute happened when the player was living in the Spanish capital and walked into the Gucci store where Rodriguez, 32, was a sales assistant.
At the time, Ronaldo was a single father to Cristiano Jr, whose mother remains a mystery to this day.
‘It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy,’ he announced at the time. ‘As agreed with the baby’s mother, who prefers to have her identity kept confidential, my son will be under my exclusive guardianship. I request everyone to fully respect my right to privacy (and that of the child) at least on issues as personal as these are.’
Georgina Rodriguez, the wife of Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, comes in at second place in our Power List
Ronaldo’s Buenos Aires-born wife Rodriguez has a social media following to make other WAGs wild with envy
Rodriguez and Ronaldo would go on to have four children of their own. Twins Eva and Mateo, now nine, were born via surrogate in June 2017, with Alana arriving five months later. In April 2022, they welcomed twins Bella and Angel but the baby boy died shortly after birth. Rodriguez’s Instagram bio describes her as a ‘mother of six blessings.’
The couple and their five children relocated to Saudi Arabia in January 2023 – Ronaldo’s $200 million contract with aspiring club Al Nassr was described by their owners as ‘history in the making’ – and Rodriguez frequently shares glamorous scenes of desert life with her followers.
She has become one of the Middle East’s most popular influencers, and in June 2025 scored the cover of Vogue Arabia – shortly after making her Met Gala debut with Vetements designer Guram Gvasalia.
‘Even though some people label me as “the girlfriend of,” I am very proud to be your wife, and of our family, and there is nothing negative about it,’ she told the magazine. But she insisted: ‘I have shown through my personality and my strength that I have my own light and path to follow.’
As if proving that point, this year she stood proud without her fiancé on the red carpet at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in her role as a Chopard ambassador.
Another of the women very much following her own path is Ester Exposito, ranked number three on our list and the reported new girlfriend of French captain Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe, 27, who plays for Real Madrid, and the 26-year-old Spanish actress have been seen together since February this year, when they were spotted dining at Tatel, the Prohibition-style restaurant in the Spanish capital, whose investors include Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal and Spanish NBA superstar Pau Gasol.
Ester Exposito, the reported new girlfriend of French captain Kylian Mbappe, is ranked number three on our list
Argentine actress and singer Tini Stoessel, fourth in the rankings, has been dating Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul since 2021
A few weeks later they were together in Paris, having dinner in a restaurant overlooking the Eiffel Tower before hitting the clubs.
At the end of March, Exposito, one of Spain’s most high-profile young actresses with 24 million followers on Instagram, was seen leaving a concert by fellow Spaniard Rosalia, held at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium.
Asked whether she liked soccer, Exposito replied with a coy smile: ‘To be honest, not much.’
Her wealth is entirely independent: she has made an estimated $3 million, largely through her role in Netflix’s Spanish high school drama Elite, which ran from 2018 to 2021.
Argentine actress and singer Tini Stoessel, fourth in the rankings, also needs little introduction in the Hispanic world.
Latin America’s answer to Miley Cyrus, Stoessel, who goes by just Tini, from the age of 14 starred in Disney Channel series Violetta, about a young girl with hopes to be a pop star. Now one of Latin America’s biggest stars, she has 21 million followers on Instagram and is slated to release her sixth album later this year.
She has been dating Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul since 2021. Like Messi, he plays with Inter Miami. On March 21 she celebrated her 29th birthday on stage in the Argentine city of Cordoba, and when one fan yelled that she and the athlete should tie the knot, she replied: ‘Yes, we’re getting married.’
Wedding plans are on the back burner, however, as 32-year-old De Paul prepares to defend the country’s World Cup title.
Like Exposito, Stoessel has amassed a significant fortune independent of her fiancé, with her wealth estimated at between $8 million and $12 million. Combined, however, they are worth well north of $40 million.
Less certain is the future of Isabel Haugseng Johansen, the 22-year-old girlfriend of fellow Norwegian Erling Haaland, 25, who comes in fifth on the Power List.
Johansen, who in December 2024 gave birth to their son, is herself a soccer player and the pair met while Haaland was in the youth squad at Norwegian club Bryne.
Isabel Haugseng Johansen, the girlfriend of fellow Norwegian Erling Haaland, comes in fifth on the Power List
Johansen is herself a soccer player and the pair met while Haaland was in the youth squad at Norwegian club Bryne
Bruna Biancardi, the model wife of Brazilian superstar Neymar, is ranked sixth in our Power List
Bruna Biancardi, the model wife of Brazilian superstar Neymar, is ranked sixth in our Power List
Agustina Gandolfo, wife of Argentine player Lautaro Martínez, comes in at number seven in the Power List. She is an entrepreneur, running a winery in her hometown of Mendoza plus restaurants in Milan – where she is now based – and Argentina
The couple have shared photos of themselves around the world – in Rome for a Dolce and Gabbana show; in Paris for Valentine’s Day – but in recent weeks online rumors have claimed the pair have split up.
Johansen has ignored the noise but Haaland appeared to dismiss the speculation, sharing on Instagram a photo of the Norwegian team – the first to qualify for the World Cup in 28 years – which she captioned: ‘All focus on the World Cup.’
He is one of the wealthiest young sportsmen in the world, with a fortune estimated at around $80 million to $100 million thanks to deals with Nike and Red Bull. His $38 million-a-year salary from Manchester City makes him one of the highest paid players in the Premier League.
A familiar face among the WAGs will be Bruna Biancardi, the 32-year-old model wife of Brazilian superstar Neymar, 34, who is ranked sixth on our Power List.
The couple, who have two daughters together, Mavie and Mel, have been on and off since 2021 but in June 2025 confirmed they had tied the knot. ‘We are already married on paper,’ Biancardi told her 15 million followers.
Her husband’s transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 remains the most expensive soccer move ever, and he is Brazil’s wealthiest ever soccer player, with a fortune of $450 million – boosted by a stint, like Ronaldo, in Saudi Arabia.
Argentine player Lautaro Martínez, 28, will be supported by his wife of three years, Agustina Gandolfo, 30, in at number seven on the Power List.
Gandolfo, whose Instagram bio reads, ‘Nutrition. Fitness. Fashion,’ is an entrepreneur, running a winery in her hometown of Mendoza plus restaurants in Milan – where she is now based – and Argentina.
Her husband, unsurprisingly, makes the real money: as captain of Inter Milan, his annual base salary of $18.1 million and lucrative sponsorship deals have seen him accumulate an additional $15 million.
The British WAG contingent will be led by Los Angeles-born Ashlyn Castro, an influencer whose previous partners include Michael B Jordan and NBA players LaMelo Ball and Terance Mann.
Castro, eighth on the list, has been linked to England midfielder Jude Bellingham since mid-2025. Her fortune is unknown but he has raked in around $50 million thanks largely to a lucrative contract with Real Madrid – his $20 million-a-year deal makes him among the highest paid players on the squad.
Ashlyn Castro, eighth on the list, has been linked to England midfielder Jude Bellingham since mid 2025
Castro is an influencer whose previous partners include Michael B Jordan and NBA players LaMelo Ball and Terance Mann
British-born Team USA’s Antonee Robinson will be backed by his partner Darcy Myers, ninth on the list
Sarah Schmidt, 11th in the ranking, will be backing her midfielder partner Tyler Adams
British influencer Taylor Ward, 16th on the list, will be there to support her husband Riyad Mahrez
British-born Team USA’s Antonee Robinson, meanwhile, will be backed by his partner Darcy Myers, ninth on the list.
Robinson, who plays for London-based Fulham, proposed to Myers in 2022 but it’s not clear whether they have tied the knot. The couple have two children, Atlas and Ocean.
Another Team USA WAG, Sarah Schmidt, 11th in the ranking, will be backing her midfielder partner Tyler Adams, with whom she has two sons. The couple has been together since 2019.
And British influencer Taylor Ward, 16th on the list, will be there to support her husband Riyad Mahrez, 35, as he represents Algeria.
The couple held a series of weddings, beginning with an Islamic ceremony in 2022 and culminating in a Lake Como celebration in August 2024 where X Factor winner Leona Lewis serenaded them.
They moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023 but frequently return to Manchester where they lived while he played for Manchester City.
