Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are, unsurprisingly, two of the most tenured World Cup players of all time.
With 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico surely to be the last chance for either to play any further World Cup games, it remains to be seen if Messi (39 years old by World Cup start) and Ronaldo (41 years old by World Cup start) are involved.
So, who has appeared at the most World Cups so far among male players? And who has played in the most World Cup games?
Here’s where things stand, as at the end of Qatar 2022.
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Who has played in most World Cups? All-time men’s record
Messi holds the all-time men’s FIFA World Cup games record, while Ronaldo is the closest active player who can catch him, four games behind.
Male players with most FIFA World Cup appearances
*Bold denotes active player
| Player | Games | Years |
| Lionel Messi (ARG) | 26 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| Lothar Matthaus (GER) | 25 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| Miroslav Klose (GER) | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| Paolo Maldini (ITA) | 23 | 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) | 22 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
At the 2026 tournament, there will be a maximum of eight games for any players whose country reaches the final, assuming they feature in each match.
This is one more than the usual maximum of seven per tournament, thanks to the expansion to 48 teams and addition of a Round of 32.
Ronaldo can leap to second on the list if Portugal participate, call a 41-year-old Ronaldo up, and play him in all three group games as well as in the Round of 32 should they progress.
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How many World Cups have Messi and Ronaldo played in?
Messi and Ronaldo have each played in five World Cups in their careers, with each featuring in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 events.
If either plays in the North American edition in ’26, they’ll have appeared in six, which would be a new all-time high.
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Most FIFA World Cup tournaments played in by men
Six men have played at five different World Cup tournaments: Messi, Ronaldo, German legend Lothar Matthaus, and Mexican trio Antonio Carbajal, Andres Guardado and Rafael Marquez.
Guardado, 38, ended his chance to appear in a sixth tournament alongside Ronaldo and Messi when he retired in the summer of 2025. Marquez could attend in his current role as Mexico’s assistant coach, but his playing days ended after Russia 2018.
Goalkeepers Gianluigi Buffon and Guillermo Ochoa have also featured at five different tournaments, but the Italian only played at four of them and the Mexican at just three.
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Are Ronaldo and Messi likely to play at the 2026 World Cup?
Though they’d be aged 41 and 39 respectively, the generational talent of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not be turned down by their national coach if they make themselves available, even if their roles are reduced compared to previous editions.
Neither has guaranteed they will participate yet, but if fully fit, it’s widely expected that they will both head to North America come 2026.
The other major hurdle of course, is qualification.
Argentina have confirmed a place at the 2026 World Cup, having only ever missed out on qualifying once in national team history, coming in 1970, while their other three absences were down to withdrawal in the early days of the competition’s history.
Portugal, meanwhile, will hope to be one of 16 nations from Europe who make the cut with qualification groups set to be drawn in December 2024. They have yet to confirm a place in the field, but have a chance to do so in the November international window and are expected to pull through.
