The 2026 World Cup will be played between 11 June and 19 July 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
It is the first time it will be hosted by three countries and the first North American World Cup since 1994.
This World Cup has another first, as it will host 48 teams instead of the usual 32.
And as more and more players get the chance to compete in this, others will grab the chance to put their names in history like the ones below…
|
Level |
The player |
Nation |
WC applications |
|---|---|---|---|
|
12= |
Grzegorz Lato |
Poland |
20 |
|
12= |
Cafu |
Brazil |
20 |
|
12= |
Bastian Schweinsteiger |
In Germany |
20 |
|
12= |
Philipp Lahm |
In Germany |
20 |
|
12= |
Javier Mascherano |
In Argentina |
20 |
|
12= |
Hugo Lloris |
France |
20 |
|
8= |
Uwe Seeler |
West Germany |
21 |
|
8= |
Ivan Perisic |
Croatia |
21 |
|
8= |
Wladyslaw Zmuda |
Poland |
21 |
|
8= |
Diego Maradona |
In Argentina |
21 |
|
5= |
Paolo Maldini |
Italy |
23 |
|
5= |
Luka Modric |
Croatia |
23 |
|
5= |
Manuel Neuer |
In Germany |
23 |
|
4 |
Miroslav Klose |
In Germany |
24 |
|
3 |
Lothar Matthäus |
In Germany |
25 |
|
2 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
In Portugal |
26 |
|
1 |
Lionel Messi |
In Argentina |
30 |
17
Grzegorz Lato (Poland)
20 games
First on this list is Grzegorz Lato, who won 100 caps for his national team, Poland. The former midfielder played in four World Cups as a player, playing 20 games in total.
Lato’s best achievements with his country were third-place finishes in 1974 and 1982, but personally, he had a great goalscoring record, netting 10 times in the tournament.
16
Cafu (Brazil)
20 games
Cafu is one of the most famous Brazilian players for playing this game and he is still talked about a lot now because they were lucky enough to find him playing.
The Brazilian player has played in four different World Cups, captaining his national team in his last two tournaments. Cafu played 20 times in the World Cup, and although he did not score a goal, he succeeded by winning the tournament twice in 1994 and 2002.
15
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
20 games
Former Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger won 121 caps for his national team and was part of three World Cup squads.
The midfielder played 20 times in this tournament, scoring two goals and providing six assists. The 2014 World Cup was one to remember for the Bayern Munich midfielder, as he finally got a piece of silverware with his country.
14
Philipp Lahm (Germany)
20 games
The player who played with Schweinsteiger in Germany and Bayern Munich is Philipp Lahm.
The former Germany captain, who lifted the World Cup in 2014, also played 20 times at the World Cup, although he has more minutes than his former teammate with 1,920 minutes compared to Schweinsteiger’s 1,656.
Besides winning the trophy in Brazil, Lahm opened the World Cup for Germany in 2006 with a special opening goal against Costa Rica.
13
Javier Mascherano (Argentina)
20 games
Javier Mascherano was the most important player for the club and country during his playing career, as he won 147 matches for Argentina.
This player who once played for his national team in four World Cup games but could not say that he was successful, as the only thing they got while in the team was in the final in 2014, where they were defeated 1-0 by Germany.
Mascherano played 20 World Cup matches during his career, making him one of Argentina’s most played World Cup players.
12
Hugo Lloris (France)
20 games
France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has played in four World Cups, the last appearing in the final against Argentina in 2022.
Lloris has made 20 appearances in the competition, keeping a respectable eight clean sheets.
Lloris is lucky to call himself a World Cup winner as he played a major role in his country’s success in 2018. He is also a French player who has played in many World Cup matches.
11
Uwe Seeler (Germany)
21 games
Uwe Seeler was a player of the German national team who won 72 games for his national team, 21 of which came in the World Cup.
Seeler scored nine goals and provided eight assists during those games, but was unable to be part of the tournament-winning team, which came close when England defeated West Germany at Wembley in 1966.
10
Ivan Perisic (Croatia)
21 games
Part of a great generation of Croatian players, the evergreen Ivan Perisic has featured in four World Cups; 2014, 2018, 2022 and finally in 2026 I am 37 years old.
His international career was impressive, playing for his country 158 times while scoring 39 goals in the process.
9
Wladyslaw Zmuda (Poland)
21 games
Wladyslaw Zmuda is another former Polish player who represented his country in four World Cup tournaments. He was awarded the Young Player of the Year award after the 1974 World Cup, for his performance at fullback in Poland’s third-place play-off, where they beat Brazil.
Zmuda was also the captain of the team that was eliminated from the semi-finals in 1982, where they were beaten by Italy who eventually won.
8
Diego Maradona (Argentina)
21 games
Diego Maradona is another Argentinian player who played for his country in many World Cup matches.
Maradona earned 91 caps for his national side, scoring 34 goals in the process, and was seen at the time as one of the greatest to play the game.
Maradona played 21 times in the World Cup and had an impressive record in the tournament, scoring eight goals and providing eight assists. This Argentinian player also won the World Cup in 1986.
