Lionel Messi prepares for a record at the World Cup
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is preparing to take his number of World Cup appearances to the next level.
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Lionel Messi, one of the legends of the football world, has appeared in a total of 26 matches across five different World Cups to date. If he participates in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, Messi will improve his own record in this category.
The closest follower of Messi's current record is German footballer Lothar Matthaeus with 25 matches. He is followed by Miroslav Klose, also from Germany, with 24, Italy's unforgettable defender Paolo Maldini with 23, and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo with 22 matches.
There are only 6 names among the footballers who have achieved the success of playing in 5 tournaments in World Cup history. While Messi and Ronaldo are in this elite group, Mexicans Antonio Carbajal, Andres Guardado, Rafael Marquez, and German Lothar Matthaeus also stand out as the other footballers who have played in five tournaments.
If Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo wear their countries' jerseys in 2026, they will go down in history in golden letters by participating in the World Cup for the sixth time. Some players who were selected for World Cup squads five different times had less playing time throughout the tournaments; Gianluigi Buffon was able to take the field in 4 tournaments, while Guillermo Ochoa played in 3.