The Most Participating Players in the World Cup Throughout History

Just a few days before the start of the 2026 World Cup, get to know the list of the most participating players in the history of the global event, which has seen the presence of a selection of world football legends.

The Argentine star Lionel Messi tops the list with 26 matches, surpassing the German Lothar Matthäus who has 25 matches in second place, while his compatriot Miroslav Klose comes third with 24 matches.

Italian Paolo Maldini is in fourth place with 23 matches, followed by Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo with 22 matches, then German Uwe Seeler, Argentine Diego Maradona, and Polish Władysław Żmuda with 21 matches each.

The list is completed with the presence of Polish Grzegorz Lato and German Philipp Lahm with 20 matches, confirming the dominance of historical names on the World Cup participation record across the ages.

The most participating players in the World Cup:

1: Lionel Messi – 26 matches (Argentina)

2: Lothar Matthäus – 25 matches (Germany)

3: Miroslav Klose – 24 matches (Germany)

4: Paolo Maldini – 23 matches (Italy)

5: Cristiano Ronaldo – 22 matches (Portugal)

6: Uwe Seeler – 21 matches (Germany)

7: Diego Maradona – 21 matches (Argentina)

8: Władysław Żmuda – 21 matches (Poland)

9: Grzegorz Lato – 20 matches (Poland)

10: Philipp Lahm – 20 matches (Germany)