Most international appearances in football: Cristiano Ronaldo leads men’s list

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to add to his slew of records in men’s international football.

The Portuguese star has scored the most number of goals, has the most hat-tricks and accomplished several other feats.

Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in 2003 so it’s no surprise that the prolific scorer also holds the record for the most international appearances in men’s football.

In March 2023, during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers, Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa’s record of 196 international appearances during Portugal’s match against Liechtenstein.

On June 20, 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo become the first male football player to play 200 internationals when he took the field in Portugal’s UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers match against Iceland.

Bader Al-Mutawa, who like Ronaldo was born in 1985 and also made his international debut in 2003, had broken the record for most international appearances in football previously set by Soh Chin Ann of Malaysia in June 2022.

Al-Mutawa’s tally could have been a lot more had Kuwait not been suspended from international football twice – 2007-08 and 2015-17 – for administrative issues.

The Kuwaiti striker’s record did not last even a year as Ronaldo surpassed it in March 2023.

In contrast, Soh Chin Ann’s record of 195 international caps stood for an astonishing 37 years and eight months. The Malaysian played the last match for his country in October 1984.

Some statistics, however, point out that Soh Chin Ann, a defender, played 219 matches for his country but only 195 of those were in FIFA-recognised international matches. His first match was during the 1969 King’s Cup in Thailand.

England’s Billy Wright, meanwhile, was the first footballer to make 100 international appearances. He played his last match in 1959, finishing with a total of 105 international caps for his country.

There are well over 500 players who have played more than 100 matches for their country.

Most international appearances in football: Men

The number of women who have played at least 100 football matches for their country is around 400.

However, while Cristiano Ronaldo will be the first man to play 200 international matches, there are 26 women who have already passed the milestone. Four women, in fact, have played over 300 matches for their country.

The overall record for the most international appearances in football is held by Kristine Lilly of the United States women’s football team. She represented her country in a whopping 354 matches between 1987 and 2010.

Kristine Lilly is a World Cup winner and has bagged two gold medals at the Olympics. She retired in 2010.

Canada’s Christine Sinclair is next followed by six more Americans. Carli Lloyd and Christie Pearce are the other two players to have more than 300 international caps.

Most international appearances in football: Women