The Premier League was the most represented league at the World Cup in 2018 , with 108 players who play in this league taking part in the tournament . After France emerged victorious having beaten Croatia 4 - 2 in the final , five French players who plied their trade in their Premier League were able to return with bragging rights – Hugo Lloris , Paul Pogba , Olivier Girous , N'Golo Kante and Benjamin Mendy . Premier League players at the World Cup The most well-represented domestic team at the 2018 World Cup unsurprisingly came from England – Manchester City had a total of 16 players taking part in the World Cup , one more than Real Madrid . In fact , only one side from the 2017/18 Premier League did not have representation at the tournament – AFC Bournemouth . Although the England national team fell just short of the final , having been beaten by Croatia in extra time in the semi-finals , the team captain , Harry Kane , went home with the Golden Boot award . The Tottenham star scored six goals throughout the tournament , but still remains some way behind the all-time record goal scorer at the World Cup , Miroslav Klose . Big names at the World Cup As the most prestigious national tournament in world soccer , it is unsurprising that the superstars are out in force during the World Cup . Going into the 2018 World Cup , Argentina 's Lionel Messi and Brazil 's Neymar were top of the table based on their market value . The highest ranked French player on the list was Kylian Mbappé in sixth place who , after a sterling tournament in which he scored in the final , no doubt has seen his value rise . France 's win did not come as a complete surprise as they went into the tournament with the most highly valued squad – the combined transfer value of the French squad stood at 1.08 billion U.S. dollars .
