Cristiano Ronaldo tops list for most international appearances in football

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name into the history books again after registering the most international appearances in football by becoming the first player to reach 200 caps for his country in a 1-0 win over Iceland in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier in June 2023.

Having made his senior international debut against Kazakhstan in August 2003, Ronaldo has now earned a staggering 200 international caps.

The Madeira-born footballer had earlier surpassed Bader Al-Mutawa’s previous record of 196 appearances after he was named in the starting XI for Portugal national football team’s UEFA European Championship qualifiers 2024 match against Liechtenstein in March 2023.

England’s Billy Wright was the first footballer to make 100 international appearances in football. He achieved the feat in 1959, and finished his career with 105 caps.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 list of most international appearances in football.

Most international appearances in football

Cristiano Ronado - 200 caps 

Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo is the most capped player in international football. He has represented his national team 200 times and also holds the record for most goals in international football, having netted 123 strikes so far. Part of a select group of players who have featured in five separate editions of the FIFA World Cup - which is a testament to his longevity - Ronaldo is also the only footballer to score in five different editions of the FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo is likely to continue adding to his international caps with Portugal and will go beyond the 200 cap mark as he eyes apperaing in UEFA Euro 2024, which would be his sixth apperance in an edition of the European Championship.

Bader Al-Mutawa - 196 caps

Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa holds the record for the second-most international appearances in football. Bader Al-Mutawa played 196 games for the Kuwait national team after making his debut in 2003. Interestingly, Al-Mutawa could have had a lot more than his 196 international caps had his country Kuwait not been suspended from international football twice in 2007-08 and 2015-17 due to administrative issues. His time on top of the list of most international appearances wasn't long as he earned the record in June 2022 before Ronaldo surpassed him in March 2023.

Soh Chin Ann - 195 caps

Former Malaysian defender Soh Chin Ann features third on the list for most appearances in international football. He previously held the record for the most appearances before he was eclipsed by Bader Al-Mutawa in 2022. Having earned his debut international cap at the 1969 Kings’ Cup, Soh Chin Ann finished his international career with 195 appearances. Unlike Al-Mutawa's brief time on top of the most international caps list, Soh Chin Ann's record for most international appearances lasted for 37 years and eight months. Some belive the former Malaysian international played as many as 219 matches for his country. However, only 195 of those games are officially recognised by FIFA.  

Ahmed Hassan - 184 caps

Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan is the fourth-most capped international male footballer in history. Widely regarded as one of the greatest African players, Ahmed Hassan represented his national team 184 times. His longevity in international football is highlighted by the fact that he represented Egypt in eight Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and Hassan also holds the record for winning the most Africa Cup of Nations in history, having clinched it on four occasions in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010. In the 2006 edition of Africa Cup of Nations, he was named the best player of the tournament.

Ahmed Mubarak - 183 caps

Omani professional footballer Ahmed Mubarak represented his national side 183 times. After making his international debut in 2003, Ahmed featured in the Asian Cup, FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the Arabian Gulf Cup for Oman national football team. He netted more than 20 goals in international football before retiring in 2019.

Photo credit: Alamy