Three celebrities, three watches ranging from $25,000 to $201,000, and a 2026 World Cup that accidentally turned VIP boxes into the world's most-watched watch showcase.
The ball hasn't stopped. Neither have the eyes of those who know where else to look.
Every time a broadcast camera leaves the pitch to frame a VIP box, it reveals something sports commentators aren't equipped to explain: tens of thousands of dollars on wrists. The 2026 World Cup — hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada — has become, without anyone planning it, the most-watched luxury watch showcase in history. No booth, no press release. Just extraordinary timepieces on extraordinary wrists, and cameras that inevitably find them.
Here are three pieces that circulated in the stands and on social media during the tournament, ordered from lowest to highest price — with context, real pricing, and the only question that matters: what does each one say about the person wearing it?
1. The Ambassador's Watch: Mbappé's Hublot Big Bang
Kylian Mbappé has been an official Hublot ambassador since 2021. When he shows up in a World Cup VIP box, the watch on his wrist isn't coincidence — it's a brand statement. At the 2026 tournament, Mbappé was spotted wearing a titanium Hublot Big Bang, a limited-edition piece — just 25 examples worldwide — released at Dubai Watch Week 2025 in collaboration with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the most important watch retailer in the Middle East. MSRP: $25,200 USD. It's not the most expensive watch on this list, but it is the hardest to acquire relative to its price: 25 pieces for the entire world.
Why it makes this list: Because it proves something the industry understands that the public often misses — scarcity isn't proportional to price. A $25,000 watch limited to 25 pieces is more exclusive than a $100,000 watch available in any boutique. Mbappé didn't bring the most expensive watch to the World Cup. He brought one almost nobody else can have.
2. The Presidential: Messi's Rolex Day-Date 40 (Ref. 228235JG)
Messi's Day-Date 40 is not an ordinary Rolex. The 228235JG reference carries the new Jubilee Gold alloy — developed by Rolex to mark the centennial of the Oyster case — across the case, bezel, and President bracelet. The dial is green aventurine, a semi-precious stone that captures and redirects light with every movement of the wrist. The indices and bezel incorporate baguette diamonds. Rolex unveiled this piece at Watches & Wonders 2026 as part of its "exceptional" collection — no standard catalog availability, reserved only for clients Rolex decides deserve it. Confirmed MSRP: $72,100 USD.
Why it makes this list: Because the Day-Date has historically been the watch of power — heads of state, icons, people who've already won everything worth winning. Messi at this World Cup is exactly that. The specific reference he's wearing cannot be obtained through an ordinary waitlist. It's acquired when you're the kind of client Rolex calls — not the kind who calls Rolex.
3. The One-of-a-Kind: Travis Scott's AP Royal Oak Cactus Jack
At the Brazil vs. Morocco group stage match, Travis Scott arrived at the stadium with something that officially has no sale price: a pièce unique version of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Cactus Jack. In 2023, Audemars Piguet and Scott released a 200-piece limited edition at $201,000 USD: a 41mm brown ceramic case with a dial bearing the Cactus Jack logo and the label's signature smiley-face motif. What Scott wore to the World Cup is the same watch — but with the ceramic bezel set with rainbow-colored gemstones in a gradient arrangement. No second one exists. On the secondary market, the 200 regular-edition examples currently list between $550,000 and $655,000 on Chrono24. Scott's version has no price because it is not for sale.
Why it makes this list: Because it represents the logical extreme of what a watch can become — an object so personal it has stopped being a product. At this World Cup, Messi arrived with the Day-Date of power. Travis Scott arrived with his own signature, in brown ceramic, his face smiling up from the dial. In watchmaking terms, that's the summit.
Latin America Perspective
Mbappé’s Hublot ($25,200 MSRP) is the only one of the three that is theoretically within reach of a buyer in the region—and the word “theoretically” is doing the heavy lifting in that sentence. With import taxes in Mexico (16% VAT plus approximate tariffs of 15–20%), the actual price is around the equivalent of $30,000–$36,000 USD, or about MXN 620,000–740,000 at the current exchange rate. This is an approximate figure: check with an authorized dealer before making any decisions. In Colombia and Argentina, different tariffs and more limited access to Hublot dealers further complicate the equation. Messi’s Rolex, being an “exceptional” piece outside the regular catalog, has no normal purchasing path in any market, including Latin America. And Travis Scott’s AP isn’t bought: it’s inherited, you build a relationship with Audemars Piguet over years, or you are Travis Scott.
Watch of the Week
Messi's Rolex Day-Date 40. Not for the price — for the narrative. This is the right watch, on the right wrist, at the right tournament. Messi didn't choose it for the diamonds or the aventurine. He was offered it because it's the piece Rolex reserves for those who no longer need to prove anything. That communicates more than any spec sheet.
Nobody planned for the 2026 World Cup to become a watch fair. But VIP boxes don't lie: when money and football converge, watches appear. The question isn't how much they cost. It's what each one says about the person who decides to wear it.
