Players With The Most World Cup Appearances

The Players With The Most World Cup Appearances

See a listing of the players with the most FIFA World Cup appearances in the tournament as a whole and the Final match itself.

Lionel Messi Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok. — Lionel Messi Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok

Most Tournament Appearances: Lionel Messi (26 Games)

When it comes to the World Cup tournament as a whole, Argentina's Lionel Messi stands alone at the top. He broke the all-time appearance record during Argentina's 2022 World Cup win in Qatar. Altogether Messi has appeared at five tournaments from 2006 in Germany to 2022 in Qatar.

The top five players with the most World Cup appearances are as follows:

Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 26 matches
Lothar Matthäus (Germany) - 25 matches
Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 24 matches
Paolo Maldini (Italy) - 23 matches
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 22 matches

Cristiano Ronaldo at World Cup 2010. — Cristiano Ronaldo, World Cup 2010

Most Championship Match Appearances: Cafu (3 Finals)

Brazilian legend Cafu holds a unique piece of football history. He is the only player to have stepped onto the pitch in three consecutive World Cup Final matches: