The assessment of each insurable value comprises a variety of metrics such as wages, sponsorships, age and on-field position, said Lloyd’s, noting that the research was published with the support of the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr).

With an estimated insurable value of £3.17 billion (US$3.6 billion), Lloyd’s predicts that England will edge out France, with an insured value of £2.66 billion (US$3.1 billion), and Brazil, £2.56 billion (US$2.9 billion), to claim the top spot. By way of overall comparison, Lloyd’s added, the average insurable value of one England or France player is more than the entire Costa Rica squad.

Using this methodology to play out the tournament in full, Lloyd’s model predicts England’s Three Lions will finish top of Group B, before securing knock-out wins against Senegal, France, Spain and Brazil. (The World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18, 2022).