Dec 20, 2022
Most World Cup appearances: Lionel Messi leads on 34 matches
Lionel Messi has played 34 FIFA World Cup matches, more than anyone. The full list of most World Cup appearances, updated after the 2026 tournament.
Football Features
Latest features articles covering football.
Dec 19, 2022
FIFA World Cup Golden Glove winners: Unai Simon the latest, and still no repeat winner
Unai Simon won the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Glove with seven clean sheets and one goal conceded. Every Golden Glove winner, and why nobody has won i...
Dec 19, 2022
How many kids does Lionel Messi have?
Lionel Messi and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo have been together since 2008 and got married in 2017. The couple has three sons together.
Dec 19, 2022
Argentina vs France head-to-head record, and the 2022 final in full
Argentina lead France 7-3 from 13 meetings. The full head-to-head, all four World Cup ties, and the 2022 final goal by goal.
Dec 19, 2022
Which country has won the most FIFA World Cups?
Six countries have won the FIFA World Cup two or more times.
Dec 18, 2022
Most penalty shootout saves in football World Cup: Dominik Livakovic joins elite list
West Germany’s Harald Schumacher was the first goalkeeper to make four penalty shootout saves in World Cups, achieving the feat in 1986.
Dec 18, 2022
Most goals in FIFA World Cup finals – Mbappe leads the list
Kylian Mbappe is the leading scorer in World Cup finals with four goals, and one of only two men to score a hat-trick in one.
Dec 18, 2022
Lionel Messi World Cup goals: all 21, and the record he broke and then lost
Lionel Messi has scored 21 goals in 34 FIFA World Cup matches across six tournaments, eight of them in 2026. Here is every one of them, and the all-ti...
Dec 16, 2022
Who is the world’s No. 1 football player in 2026? The season’s four biggest prizes went to four different men
Rodri, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal all have a case, and none of them holds the title outright. The case for each, what every award...
Dec 14, 2022
How many World Cups have Argentina won?
Argentina have reached the final of the World Cup six times.
Dec 14, 2022
Most assists in FIFA World Cup 2022 – Four footballers lead the tally
Lionel Messi, formerly a Golden Ball winner at the World Cup, has two assists in Qatar 2022.
Dec 14, 2022
Most assists in FIFA World Cup history: Lionel Messi leads on 12
Lionel Messi broke the World Cup all-time assist record in 2026 and finished on 12. The full list, and why the published rankings disagree below the t...
Dec 14, 2022
Who is the God of football? Why the title belongs to Maradona
Maradona is the God of football, and there is a church in Rosario that means it literally. Where the nickname came from, and where Pele and Messi actu...
Dec 10, 2022
ISL Golden Glove winners: Indian goalkeepers dominate the pack
India’s Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is the only goalkeeper to win the ISL Golden Glove award twice.
Dec 9, 2022
Highest goal-scorers for Brazil: Neymar’s 80, and why Pele’s 77 is disputed
Neymar finished on 80 goals to become Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, ahead of Pele’s 77. The full top 11, the goals-per-game story, and why the CBF...
Dec 9, 2022
Neymar’s net worth in 2026: what he earns at Santos, and what nobody can verify
Neymar’s net worth is estimated at around USD 450 million. What he actually earns at Santos, what he made at each club, and why the headline figure is...
Dec 8, 2022
A statistical tour of Eden Hazard’s illustrious career
Hazard is the second-highest goal-scorer in Belgian football history.
Dec 2, 2022
12 goals in 90 minutes – Highest goal-scoring match in FIFA World Cup
10 or more goals were scored in a World Cup match on five occasions in the tournament’s 92-year history.
Nov 30, 2022
Youngest footballers to score in FIFA World Cup – Gavi enters top five
Gavi’s stunning volley against Costa Rica at Qatar 2022 made him the youngest Spanish player to score in the World Cup.
Nov 28, 2022
Explained: How Germany can qualify for Round of 16 at FIFA World Cup 2022
Germany have failed to win at least one of the first two group matches for the first time in the FIFA World Cup history.
Nov 27, 2022
Hakan Sukur scored in 11 seconds! Fastest goals in FIFA World Cup
In its 92-year history, a total of five goals have been scored in under 30 seconds in the FIFA World Cup.
Nov 27, 2022
Explained: How Argentina can qualify for Round of 16 in FIFA World Cup 2022
A win for Argentina vs Poland will ensure their qualification for the Round of 16.
Nov 26, 2022
Guillermo Ochoa: the Mexican wall who played at a record six World Cups
Guillermo Ochoa retired in July 2026 after a record-equalling sixth World Cup squad and 153 caps for Mexico. His career, his great World Cup nights an...
Nov 24, 2022
Biggest wins in FIFA World Cup: Hungary the only side to score 10 goals in single match
Hungary is the only team in the history of the FIFA World Cup to net nine or more goals twice.