Three players have been present in the last five editions of the World Cup
The call-up of Lionel Messi, for Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo, for Portugal, and Guillermo Ochoa, for Mexico, will make the three players break a record: the athletes who competed in the World Cup the most times. In 2026, the three are going to the 6th edition of the tournament, which runs from June 11th to July 19th and, for the first time in history, will be played in three countries: Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Both Messi, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Ochoa were present in the last five editions of the World Cup.
- 2006, in Germany
- 2010, in South Africa
- 2014, not Brazil
- 2018, in Russia
- 2022, not Qatar
With the milestone being reached in the coming days, when the teams will make their debut in the tournament, they will surpass four players who lead the list for the highest number of participations:
- Antonio Carbajal (Mexico)
- Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
- Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
- Rafael Marquez (Mexico)
Among the list of players who appear with four World Cups played, seven Brazilians appear, namely:
- Nilton Santos – 1950, 1954, 1958 and 1962
- Castilho – 1950, 1954, 1958 and 1962
- Djalma Santos – 1954, 1958, 1962 and 1966
- Pelé – 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970
- Emerson Leão – 1970, 1974, 1978 and 1986
- Cafu – 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006
- Ronaldo Fenômeno – 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006
Although the three are preparing to break the record in terms of number of matches, the The player who was on the field the most times in a World Cup was Argentine Lionel Messiwho played 26 matches, a mark that was reached in 2022, when La Albiceleste won the championship, their third star.
Messi is the player who has been on the field the most times in the World Cup │ EFE/ Juan Ignacio Roncoroni
Players who played the most
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 26 games – 2006 to 2022
- Lothar Matthäus (Germany): 25 matches – 1982 to 1998
- Miroslav Klose (Germany): 24 matches – 2002 to 2014
- Paolo Maldini (Italy): 23 matches – 1990 to 2002
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 22 matches – 2006 to 2022
- Cafu (Brazil): 20 matches – 1994 to 2006
- Diego Maradona (Argentina): 21 games – 1982 to 1994
- Uwe Seeler (West Germany): 21 matches – 1958 to 1970
- Philipp Lahm (Germany): 20 matches – 2006 to 2014
- Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany): 20 matches – 2006 to 2014
