Which player has the most World Cup appearances (matches played)?

Lionel Messi has the most World Cup appearances, with 26 matches played for Argentina. He reached that record across five tournaments, from his debut in Germany in 2006 through the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Messi’s appearances were distributed across five World Cups: three matches in 2006, five in 2010, seven in 2014, four in 2018 and seven in 2022. His final appearance came in Argentina’s 2022 championship match against France, where he scored twice before Argentina won on penalties.

The record is specifically for matches played, not tournaments entered. Several players share the record for appearing in five different World Cups, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lothar Matthäus, Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez and Andrés Guardado. Messi is the sole record holder for total World Cup match appearances.

Diego Maradona played in four World Cups and made 21 appearances, while Paolo Maldini played 23 matches across four tournaments. Messi also became the first player to score in every knockout round of a single World Cup during Argentina’s 2022 title run.