FIFA World Cup Records: Who Played the Maximum Number of Games?

The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of the game, and many of the world’s best football players have participated in it. The appearance records for major tournaments are typically aligned with the players and nations that have won the most, as greatness is frequently measured in consistently excellent results over a long period of time.

It should come as no surprise that Lothar Matthaus, who won the championship and played in two championship games, leads the list of World Cup tournament players with the most games played. He played in 25 matches, one more than fellow German Miroslav Klose, who is also the all-time leading scorer in the men’s FIFA World Cup’s 21 completed editions (16 goals).

Although fellow countryman Lionel Messi passed him at the Qatar 2022 competition, Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to do the same. Diego Maradona is another trophy-lifter who has made it to 21 match appearances. Even so, Messi might set a new record for appearances. The Argentina wizard currently has a score of 23, but he could reach 26 if he participates in each of the four knockout-phase games his country would play in, should they advance to the final or playoff for third or fourth place.

Lothar Matthäus (1982-1998)

Following defeats in the finals in 1982 and 1986, Matthaus led West Germany to the World Cup victory in Italy in 1990. The second player, after Mexico’s Antonio Carbajal, to play in five different FIFA World Cup competitions, he also competed for Germany in the 1994 and 1998 editions. With 150 appearances for his country, including 83 for West Germany prior to the nation’s reunification, the midfielder also holds the record for most caps by a German player.

Antonio Carbajal (Mexico’s goalkeeper, 1950-1966)

One of the great athletes whose name is linked to the World Cup is Antonio Carbajal. In addition to being regarded as one of the greatest players in Mexican history and honoured as the Best CONCACAF Keeper in the Twentieth Century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, “La Tota” donned Mexico’s No. 1 jersey at five World Cups, in 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, and 1966.

The first victory for Carbajal’s Mexico came against Czechoslovakia (3-1) in 1962, a year in which he was also named the best goalkeeper by the media.

The Mexican participated in eleven World Cup games as the country’s goalkeeper: three in Brazil in 1950, one in Switzerland in 1954, three in Sweden in 1958, three in Chile in 1962, and one in England in 1966. His final match was in England against Uruguay (0-0), ending a run that had begun 16 years earlier in the Maracan, another of football’s most illustrious stadiums.

The timer for the World Cup has started. We at Roadtrips understand how thrilling it is to be in the World Cup host nation. With our visitors, we can’t wait to travel to Qatar and take in the amazing atmosphere.

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