Some people would argue that representing your nation in sport is the epitome of your career.
So to have the chance as a footballer to represent your country at the World Cup is surely the single greatest achievement you can accomplish in the sport.
The players and managers in the lists below have gone even further though, breaking record appearance tallies at the World Cup throughout the years — and none more so than Lionel Messi, who has established a new landmark in 2022.
MORE: Most goals all-time at the World Cup: Which players and nations have scored the most times?
Who has played the most World Cup matches?
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina superstar Lionel Messi surpassed one time tournament winner Lothar Matthaus' record for the most appearances made by a player at the World Cup.
Featuring across five different editions of the competition between 1982 and 1998, Germany's Matthaus ended up making 150 appearances in total for Germany with 25 of those coming in the World Cup.
Messi equalled that record after he started his side's semifinal match against Croatia at the 2022 edition, and by being named in the side for the final against France he set a new benchmark.
Players with 20 or more World Cup appearances
| Player | Nation | Matches | Tournaments |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 26 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| Lothar Matthaus | Germany | 25 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| Paolo Maldini | Italy | 23 | 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 22* | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| Diego Maradona | Argentina | 21 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 |
| Uwe Seeler | Germany | 21 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| Wladyslaw Zmuda | Poland | 21 | 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| Cafu | Brazil | 20 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| Philipp Lahm | Germany | 20 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 20 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
| Javier Mascherano | Argentina | 20 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| Bastian Schweinsteiger | Germany | 20 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
*As at Dec. 18, 2022
Who managed most matches in World Cup history?
The manager who has managed the most World Cup matches throughout the tournament's history is former West Germany coach Helmut Schon.
Throughout his time with the West German national side, Schön took charge of 25 World Cup finals matches across four tournaments; 1966, 1970, 1974 and 1978.
Under his tutelage, his home nation won the 1974 edition whilst they came runners-up in 1966 and finished third in 1970.
With 16 wins, Schon has the most victories under his belt as a manager in World Cup history.
Managers to take charge of 20 or more World Cup matches
| Manager | Nationality | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Tournaments |
| Helmut Schon | West Germany | 25 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978 |
| Carlos Alberto Parreira | Brazil | 23 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 |
| Luiz Felipe Scolari | Brazil | 21 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 2002, 2006, 2010 |
| Mario Zagallo | Brazil | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 1970, 1974, 1998 |
| Oscar Tabarez | Uruguay | 20 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 1990, 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| Bora Milutinovic | Yugoslavia | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 |
Most tournaments played as a player or managed as a coach
Six different players in the history of the World Cup have made appearances at five different tournaments, the most by a single individual.
Those six are:
- Antonio Carbajal (1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966)
- Lothar Matthaus (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998)
- Rafael Marquez (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
- Andres Guardado (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
- Lionel Messi (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
Two other players has also made five World Cup squads in Italy's Gianluigi Buffon and Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa. Those call ups came in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 for Buffon, though the famous shot-stopper didn't feature during the France '98 tournament.
Ochoa also made his fifth World Cup squad in 2022, though he didn't feature in either of his first two call ups in 2006 and 2010 respectively.
Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira can go one better, however, as he has managed a nation in six different World Cup editions, the most of all time.
Starting in 1982 with Kuwait, Alberto then took the United Arab Emirates to the 1990 tournament, Saudi Arabia to the 1998 competition and managed South Africa at their home World Cup of 2010.
On top of that, Alberto also managed his home nation of Brazil at two World Cups in 1994 and 2006, winning the competition in '94 thanks to a 3-2 penalty shootout victory vs. Italy.
Most World Cups won by player
Throughout the history of the World Cup only one player has won the tournament on three separate occasions; Brazil's Pele.
Taking his first title back in 1958 when Sweden hosted the World Cup, Pele then went on to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy twice more in both 1962 and 1970.
Most World Cups won by manager
In terms of managers, Vittorio Pozzo remains the only ever coach to win the World Cup on more than one occasion.
That trend continued in 2022, as France coach Didier Deschamps missed out on masterminding a sensational repeat.
The former Milan and Torino manager took charge of his nation on four separate occasions during his career, overseeing title wins at both the 1934 and 1938 editions.
Interestingly to this point, nations who have won the World Cup have always been managed by someone of the same nationality!
