The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in full swing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and while the early conversation centred on dynamic ticket pricing, travel logistics and visa restrictions, attention has now shifted to what matters most: world-class football on the biggest stage in sport.
But for watch collectors, luxury watch enthusiasts (and anyone obsessed with celebrity wristwear), the tournament has become the perfect platform for some of the heaviest wrists in the game, where one-of-one Audemars Piguet creations can be overshadowed by diamond-set Nautilus from the biggest names on the planet.
These are the best watches spotted at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far.
Kylian Mbappé - Hublot Big Bang Ahmed Seddiqi 75th Anniversary
It’s going to take a very special reference for Kylian Mbappé to replace his namesake Hublot Big Bang Reloaded, a limited edition released this year to celebrate his double-digit Champions League milestone in January.
So when the French forward broke the record for most goals scored for the national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the watch nerds in the room were keeping one eye firmly on the Madrid man’s wrist game – and you can be sure he was sporting some serious horology to mark the occasion.
First unveiled at Dubai Watch Week 2025, Mbappé’s Hublot Big Bang Ahmed Seddiqi 75th Anniversary in Titanium Grey is one of just 25 examples ever made, released in honour of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the family-owned UAE retailer that founded the event in 2015.
Crafted in polished and satin-brushed titanium with a rose gold-accented bezel, the 43mm reference wears Eastern Arabic numerals as a tribute to the region's heritage and houses the in-house HUB1280 Unico flyback chronograph – good for 72 hours of power reserve. The gold rotor inside is engraved with the Seddiqi 75th anniversary logo – a detail only the wearer will ever see. If you’re wondering, all 25 are spoken for.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Patek Philippe Nautilus Haute Joaillerie
Cristiano Ronaldo's watch collection has long been a cause of conversation within the horological world. A US$16-million-plus rotation of Jacob & Co. tourbillons and iced-out Rolex GMTs is just the top headline within an enviable collection befitting a man who earns more than any other footballer on the planet.
So when the Portugal captain rocked up to the World Cup opener against DR Congo, it said something that he reached for a Patek Philippe. But taking a look at this reference, it’s not exactly a subtle daily wearer.
Released at Watches & Wonders 2025, the Nautilus Haute Joaillerie Ref. 5811/1460G-001 takes the most coveted case in sports watchmaking and covers it entirely in stones.
The white-gold case, bezel, bracelet, and dial are set with 195 baguette-cut diamonds totalling 13.27 carats and 1,285 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 6.43 carats, resulting in a retail price of around AU$1 million.
Inside is the same Calibre 26-330 SC automatic that powers every standard Nautilus, which means the most democratic movement in haute horlogerie is now doing its rounds beneath a million dollars' worth of bling. It’s completely ridiculous – but the perfect statement piece for what will likely be a football legend’s final swansong.
Harry Kane - Rolex Day-Date “Jigsaw”
Harry Kane’s watch collection is very much like his football career: underrated. For most of his playing career, he was quietly plying his trade at Tottenham Hotspur, breaking every record for club and country and still not managing to break into the “world-class” category of player. It’s only now, since moving across to the Bundesliga, that he’s starting to get his well-deserved flowers – and his watch collection is starting to reflect it.
Released in 2023 (and re-presented at Watches & Wonders this year to celebrate 100 years of the Oyster case), the Puzzle is a very un-Rolex-like Rolex. But that’s kind of the point. The turquoise champlevé enamel dial of interlocking jigsaw pieces represents something of an antithesis of the Crown's luxury status – it’s deliberately fun, with a rotating disc that spells out "Happy," "Love" and "Hope," where the day should be. Instead of the date, 31 emojis cycle through at 3 o’clock.
For the England captain who was banned from wearing a rainbow armband four years ago, wearing the most positive watch Rolex has ever made to a World Cup reads like a very quiet, very well-dressed statement.
Lionel Messi - Rolex Day-Date
Lionel Messi may have spent the first matchweek of this year’s FIFA World Cup reminding everyone just why he’s considered the greatest footballer to have ever played the game, hitting three past Algeria in Kansas City to start the tourney with a statement win, but his wrist game has rightly been making just as many headlines.
For those that don’t know, Messi’s watch collection is full of heavy-hitting references, including a Grand Complications 5531R minute-repeater world time that has emerged as one of the most sought-after pieces in the world, fetching as much as US$2 million on the aftermarket.
A man with that depth of collection reaching for a brand-new off-catalogue Rolex at his sixth (and likely final World Cup) is certainly a deliberate choice.
Introduced at Watches & Wonders 2026, the Day-Date 40 in Jubilee Gold is an off-catalogue piece in Rolex's first new gold alloy in roughly two decades – a proprietary 18k metal that shifts across tones of tender yellow, warm grey and soft pink depending on the light. It’s an absolute stunner.
Travis Scott - Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
On his 2023 album Utopia, Travis Scott rapped about a "chocolate AP" – and months later, Audemars Piguet unveiled the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked "Cactus Jack" in brown ceramic, a first for the brand, in a collaboration co-designed with Scott and his Cactus Jack label.
Two hundred examples were made commercially. But what Scott wore courtside at the Brazil vs Morocco group game was something else entirely.
Travis Scott has a piece-unique edition of the Cactus Jack Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar – the one watch that cannot be purchased at any price – with the bezel of the 41mm brown ceramic case set with rainbow-coloured gemstones.
The only difference between Scott's watch and the 200 that went to collectors is the gem-set bezel, transforming one of the rarest AP references of 2023 into a literal one-of-one.
Erling Haaland - Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 Erling Haaland
It’s a rare honour to rock up to the World Cup wearing a watch with your name on it, reserved only for a handful of players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Erling Haaland. The Norway talisman is certainly in esteemed company.
Of course, Haaland also has a serious watch collection – a Rolex Daytona "John Mayer" in yellow gold, a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712R in rose gold with moonphase, and platinum Daytona 116506 with an ice-blue dial – but the Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 Erling Haaland is the first that he actually designed.
Presented in the just-right 40mm, it’s stainless steel with a platinum bezel. Perhaps an unusual choice for a GMT reference prone to dings (and Haaland’s explosive pace) and comes with a dial cut from a 4.5-billion-year-old Muonionalusta meteorite, a material found in the icy landscape of Sweden.
It’s the most personal watch at the tournament, and the most affordable on this list – wholly in keeping with a man who has never done anything at standard spec.
Neymar Jr. - Rolex Lady-Datejust
It’s been reported that Neymar Jr. is bringing nine watches to the 2026 FIFA World Cup – that’s more watches than matches as the Brazilian forward looks to regain peak fitness to help Brazil lift the trophy for the first time in 24 years. And, already, there’s one early contender for the best watch of the tournament.
Spotted during Brazil’s opening match against Morocco last week, Neymar Jr. was rocking a 28mm 18-carat yellow gold Rolex Lady-Datejust. You might think it’s a peculiar pick for one of football’s most avid collectors, but take a closer look. Neymar’s reference is set with 640 brilliant-cut diamonds around the watch and retails for AU$304,200. Now it’s starting to make more sense.
Rúben Dias - Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce “Rainbow”
Manchester City's defensive anchor Rúben Dias has spent his career quietly getting on with the job without much fuss – a Rolls-Royce defender in every sense of the word. So his selection for one of the most visually arresting watches in the Patek catalogue has certainly turned some heads this week.
Released in 2022 as the first self-winding ladies' flyback chronograph in the Aquanaut family, the Aquanaut Luce "Rainbow" Chronograph in 39.9mm rose-gold features a double bezel set with 40 baguette-cut multicoloured sapphires (2.31ct) and 40 baguette-cut diamonds (2.05ct). Subtle, it is not.
Zlatan Ibrahimović - Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s reputation in world football needs no introduction – a no-nonsense forward whose ego is only exceeded by the goals he’s scored and the trophies he’s won. Unsurprisingly, he has the watch collection to back it up.
Executed entirely in "Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50" ceramic, a deep, near-black blue, the 26730CD boasts the same clean aesthetic across the case, bracelet, and Grande Tapisserie dial, giving centre stage to the flying tourbillon – the watch’s beating heart – at 6 o'clock.
An extraordinary watch on an extraordinary wrist.
Kai Havertz - Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5168G 18k White Gold Green Dial
Now, I'm 50/50 on this one and welcome any sharp-eyed readers to identify the exact reference. But if it is what it appears to be, Arsenal striker Kai Havertz may have been wearing one of the most collector-approved watches spotted at the tournament.
It should be noted: Havertz is not a name that regularly appears in watch circles. Look at his Instagram – he’s never one to cultivate the luxury-obsessed image of some of football's bigger personalities; he rarely posts his watches (case in point); and generally carries himself with the kind of professionalism that keeps him out of lifestyle headlines. Which is why this Patek Philippe is the perfect choice for the Golden Boot contender.
Celebrated in 2019 as a sporty-minded extension of the Aquanaut's 20th anniversary platform, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Jumbo 5168G in khaki green is a versatile pick for the world’s biggest football tournament. It could sit side-by-side with a Submariner in a more casual setting, but could also be on the wrist as the trophy is lifted after the final. Something of a sleeper pick this early on in the comp.
