Billy Wright, the first player to reach 100 international caps.
In association football, a cap is traditionally awarded in international football to a player making an official appearance for their national team. This article lists all men's football players who have played in 100 or more official international matches for a national football team according to world football's global governing body FIFA. In total, 613 men's footballers from 112 nationalities have officially played in 100 or more international matches. The record for the most official men's international appearances is currently held by Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal with 206 caps, surpassing Bader Al-Mutawa of Kuwait's previous record total of 196 caps in March 2023.[1][2][3]
Prior to Bader Al-Mutawa, the record was held by Soh Chin Ann of Malaysia, with 195 caps. This was only ratified by FIFA in August 2021, despite Soh Chin Ann playing his final game for Malaysia in 1984. In total, Soh Chin Ann has made 219 appearances for Malaysia. This discrepancy is due to FIFA not recognising matches such as those within the Olympic Games and those not categorised as 'A' matches. All 219 appearances made by Soh Chin Ann are recognised by football statistic organisations RSSSF and IFFHS, which both recognise Soh Chin Ann as the record holder for the most international caps.[4][5][6]
The first men's footballer to play in 100 official international matches was Billy Wright of England in 1959, however the 100th match is disputed between FIFA and The Football Association. FIFA recognise the match against Italy in May 1959 as the official 100th cap, whereas the Football Association recognise the match prior against Scotland in April 1959 to be the 100th cap. This is due to FIFA not recognising the match against Argentina in May 1953 as official. Billy Wright would finish with 105 international caps.[7][8]
Men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
indicates the most-capped player for respective confederation
indicates the most-capped player for respective nation
Rank: The order of ranking with regards to international caps is in accordance with FIFA and their records. Records from other sources are not included in the official table, however, those from RSSSF whose cap totals are higher than those of FIFA are mentioned in the footnotes. Players who have achieved 100 or more international caps but are not recognised by FIFA are noted below the table.
Players: Players still active in their national teams are highlighted in bold. Player names are given in preference to their nationalities preference. For example: Icelandic players are sorted by first name, Brazilian, Portuguese, and Spanish players by nickname or first name (if more commonly used), and Chinese and Korean players by family name prefix. Players who have not been used in over two years since their last cap are no longer highlighted in bold. The player however may still be active and eligible for international selection.
Nation: Players represent a nation recognised by FIFA. These can be UN recognised countries, overseas territories or disputed states.
Confederation: Players & their nations are represented by 6 separate continental confederations within FIFA:
↑ 24 unofficial Olympic matches: Japan (1971, 1980, 1984), South Korea (1971, 1980 twice), Taiwan (1971), Philippines (1971, 1980), West Germany, United States, Morocco (1972), Papua New Guinea, Singapore (1976), Indonesia (1976, 1980, 1983), Brunei (1980), Saudi Arabia (twice), India (1983), Qatar, Thailand and Iraq (1984).
↑ 2 unofficial FIFA matches: Guadeloupe (2007) and Martinique (2019).
↑ 11 unofficial Olympic matches: Papua New Guinea, North Korea (1976), Singapore (1976, 1983), Indonesia (1976, 1980), South Korea (1980 twice), India and Iraq (1983).
↑ 3 unofficial FIFA matches: Turkmenistan (1998), North Korea (1999) and 1 unspecified.
1 2 6 unofficial Olympic matches: Taiwan (1975, 1976), Japan (1976 twice) and Israel (1976 twice).
↑ 4 unofficial FIFA matches: Guadeloupe (2007) and French Guiana (2015 twice, 2017).
↑ 2 unofficial FIFA matches: Denmark (1999) and Mexico U23 (2011).
↑ 6 unofficial FIFA matches: Guadeloupe (1992), Martinique (1992, 1993), Sint Maarten (1993, 1994) and Saint Lucia (1997).
↑ 11 unofficial Olympic matches: Taiwan (1975, 1976), Japan (1976 twice, 1980), Israel (1976), Malaysia (twice), Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia (1980).
↑ 3 unofficial FIFA matches: Guadeloupe (2007), French Guiana and Martinique (2019).
↑ 2 unofficial FIFA matches: Zanzibar (2012) and Tanzania (2014).
↑ 4 unofficial Olympic matches: Netherlands, East Germany, Portugal (1988) and England (1991).
↑ 2 unofficial FIFA matches: Kenya (2000) and Guinea (2001).
↑ 19 unofficial FIFA matches; 15 Olympic matches: Papua New Guinea, North Korea (1976), Singapore (1976, 1983), Indonesia (1976, 1983 twice), South Korea (twice), Brunei, Japan, Philippines (1980), India (twice), Saudi Arabia (1983), and 4 unspecified.
Football at the Summer Olympics, also referred to as the Olympic Football Tournament, has been included in every Summer Olympic Games as a men's competition sport, except 1896 and 1932. Women's football was added to the official program at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
The Suriname national football team represents Suriname in international football. The team is controlled by the Surinamese Football Association, which is a member of CONCACAF.
The Martinique national football team represents the French overseas department and region of Martinique in international football. The team is controlled by the Ligue de Football de la Martinique, a local branch of French Football Federation. The association is not a member of the world governing body FIFA. On 7 August 2010, the team adopted the nickname Les Matinino, which pays tribute to the history of the island.
The Guyana national football team, nicknamed the Golden Jaguars, represents Guyana in international football and is controlled by the Guyana Football Federation. It is one of three South American nations to be a member of the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF alongside Suriname and French Guiana. Until the independence of Guyana (1966), it competed as British Guiana. They qualified for the Caribbean Nations Cup in 1991, coming fourth, and in 2007. Guyana has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but on 23 March 2019 they qualified for the first time for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Tanzania national football team represents Tanzania in men's international football and is controlled by the Tanzania Football Federation, the governing body for football in Tanzania, Tanzania's home ground is Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam and their head coach is Adel Amrouche from Algeria. They are colloquially known as the Taifa Stars. Tanzania has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Before uniting with Zanzibar, the team played as the Tanganyika national football team, The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Malaysia national football team represents Malaysia in international football and is governed by the Football Association of Malaysia. The national team is recognised by FIFA as the successor of the defunct Malaya national football team which was founded for the 1963 Merdeka Tournament one month before the institution of Malaysia. The team is officially nicknamed Harimau Malaya in reference to the Malayan Tiger. Former player Mokhtar Dahari is one of the top goal scorers in international history.
The Gambia national football team represents The Gambia in men's international football and is controlled by the Gambia Football Federation. Until 1965, the team and the country were known as British Gambia. The team has never qualified for the World Cup. In 2021, Gambia qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time in history. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Mauritania national football team, nicknamed Al-Murabitun in the reference to Almoravid dynasty, represents Mauritania in men's international football. It is controlled by the Féderation de Football de la République Islamique de Mauritanie, and is a member of the Confederation of African Football. They have not qualified for the FIFA World Cup. However, in the Amílcar Cabral Cup, a regional tournament for West Africa, Mauritania came fourth in 1980 on hosting the competition. The national football team of Mauritania later runners-up in 1995, losing on penalties to Sierra Leone after the final finished 0–0.
The Réunion national football team is the regional team of the French overseas department and region of Réunion and is controlled by the Réunionese Football League, local branch of the French Football Federation. Réunion is not a member of FIFA and is only an associate member of CAF, and is therefore not eligible to enter either the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. However, it has played numerous matches, most of them against the island nations of Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.
Bader Ahmed al-Mutawa is a Kuwaiti professional footballer who plays for Qadsia. He usually operates as a second striker. He wears the jersey number 17. Al-Mutawa is the second-most-capped international player behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Indonesia national under-23 football team is considered to be the feeder team for the Indonesia national football team, represents Indonesia at football in the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games, as well as any other under-23 international football tournaments including the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. It is controlled by the Football Association of Indonesia.
Non-FIFA international football is the segment of international football that is not overseen by FIFA. FIFA is the international governing body of association football, overseeing football globally and with running international representative matches. However, some international football takes place outside its purview. This often consists of matches involving sub-national entities such as islands, colonies, or autonomous regions. Representative matches also occur involving states with limited international recognition who are unable to qualify for FIFA membership. There are also a limited number of states whose representative teams are not affiliated to FIFA. Historically, a number of competitions occurred outside FIFA's auspices. Member associations are national associations, usually affiliated to continental confederations which are subordinate to FIFA.
Datuk Wira Soh Chin Ann is a Malaysian former footballer. He was affectionately known as Tauke or Towkay (Boss) by his teammates and fans. RSSSF and IFFHS recognised Soh as the player with the most international caps in men's football with 219 caps. He formerly held the record of all-time most appearances in FIFA international recognised matches with 195 caps, before being overtaken by Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa in 2022.
The Brazil national under-23 football team represents Brazil in international football competitions during Olympic Games and Pan American Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players. The team is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). Brazil U23 is one of the most successful teams in the Olympic football tournament, having won it twice.
This is a progressive list of men's association footballers who have held or co-held the world record for international caps, beginning with Billy MacKinnon, the only man to play in all of Scotland's first seven internationals.
Ronny Clyde Aloema is a Surinamese politician and former football goalkeeper. He has served as a member of the National Assembly since 7 August 2020, representing Paramaribo District for the Progressive Reform Party (VHP).
The Fiji national under-23 football team, also known as Fiji U23, represents Fiji at U23 tournaments. The team is considered to be the feeder team for the Fiji national football team.
This is a progressive list of men's association footballers who have held or co-held the European record for international caps since 1976. The progression up to 1976 is derivable from the world record progression because the world record holder was always European, except when Ángel Romano narrowly overtook Imre Schlosser in 1924–27. After 1976, many sources, including FIFA and the Guinness Book of Records reported subsequent European cap records as world records. Retrospective validation of various Asian players' caps has subsequently shown that they exceeded the contemporary European record; most sweepingly, in 2021 FIFA recognised that Soh Chin Ann won his 109th Malaysia cap in 1976 and his 195th and final cap in 1984, which in February 2022 was the world record.
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