Which players have appeared in the most FIFA World Cups?
by Alex Sarwar ·
Updated
FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the 23rd edition of the famous tournament and will feature plenty of players who have already appeared in multiple men's World Cups across their respective careers.
In this piece, we cast an eye on both active and retired players who have appeared in the most editions of the FIFA World Cup over the course of its history
TOURNAMENTS | PLAYER | NATIONALITY | APPEARANCES | APPS PER TOURNAMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 34 | 3-2006, 5-2010, 7-2014, 4-2018, 7-2022, 8-2026 |
6 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 27 | 6-2006, 4-2010, 3-2014, 4-2018, 5-2022, 5-2026 |
5 | Lothar Matthaeus | West Germany / Germany | 25 | 2-1982, 7-1986, 7-1990, 5-1994, 4-1998 |
5 | Rafael Marquez | Mexico | 19 | 4-2002, 4-2006, 4-2010, 4-2014, 3-2018 |
5 | Andres Guardado | Mexico | 13 | 1-2006, 3-2010, 4-2014, 4-2018, 1-2022 |
5 | Antonio Carbajal | Mexico | 11 | 3-1950, 1-1954, 3-1958, 3-1962, 1-1966 |
5 | Luka Modric | Croatia | 23 | 2-2006, 3-2014, 7-2018, 7-2022, 4-2026 |
5 | Yuto Nagatomo | Japan | 16 | 4-2010, 3-2014, 4-2018, 4-2022, 1-2026 |
5 | Manuel Neuer | Germany | 23 | 6-2010, 7-2014, 3-2018, 3-2022, 4-2026 |
Top of the pile are two familiar names, with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo the only players to make an appearance in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments. Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa was included in the squad for six different editions, but only took to the pitch in four of them.
Over nine male players have achieved the rare feat of making at least one appearance in five different FIFA World Cups. Three of those are Mexican internationals, all of whom have since retired. Antonio Carbajal appeared in all five FIFA World Cup tournaments to have taken place during the 1950s and 1960s, whilst every FIFA World Cup to have taken place this century prior to 2026 featured at least one of Rafael Marquez or Andres Guardado.
