Fernando Muslera Breaks Record Of Playing Most Matches For Uruguay In FIFA World Cup

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Last Updated:June 22, 2026, 03:58 IST

Muslera has now played one more World Cup match for Uruguay than former striker Edinson Cavani, who featured in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions and made 17 appearances.

Legendary goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, who is the first Uruguayan player to feature in five editions of the FIFA World Cup, now holds the record for the most appearances for the two-time champions in the tournament’s history. Uruguay’s Group H match against Cape Verde at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday (Monday IST) is Muslera’s 18th FIFA World Cup appearance.

He has now played one more World Cup match for Uruguay than former striker Edinson Cavani, who featured in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions of the tournament and made 17 appearances.

Most matches for Uruguay in FIFA World Cup

RANKPLAYERMATCHESEDITIONS

1.	Fernando Muslera	18*	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
2.	Edinson Cavani	17	2010, 2014, 2018
3.	Diego Godín	16	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
	Luis Suárez	16	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
5.	Ladislao Mazurkiewicz	13	1966, 1970, 1974
6.	Martín Cáceres	12	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
7.	Julio César Cortés	11	1962, 1966, 1970
	Egidio Arévalo Ríos	11	2010, 2014
9.	José María Giménez	10	2014, 2018, 2022
	Pedro Rocha	10	1962, 1966, 1970, 1974
	Luis Ubiña	10	1966, 1970
	Diego Forlán	10	2002, 2010, 2014
	Maxi Pereira	10	2010, 2014

Muslera and Cavani are followed by Diego Godin and Luis Suarez on the list of Uruguay players with the most FIFA World Cup appearances. Both Godin and Suarez played 16 matches in the competition.

By making his 18th FIFA World Cup appearance, Muslera has also equalled Cláudio Taffarel’s record for the most World Cup matches played by a South American goalkeeper. Like Muslera, Taffarel made 18 appearances for Brazil across three editions of the tournament (1990, 1994 and 1998).

18 – El arquero de la selección uruguaya y @EdelpOficial, Fernando Muslera, igualará a Claudio Taffarel como el golero de una selección CONMEBOL con más partidos en la Copa Mundial de la FIFA. Histórico. pic.twitter.com/d1KKgJ8Kug— OptaJavier (@OptaJavier) June 21, 2026

The overall record for the most appearances by a goalkeeper in FIFA World Cup history belongs to Germany’s Manuel Neuer. The 40-year-old, who came out of retirement to play in this year’s World Cup, has made 21 appearances for the four-time champions so far.

Most FIFA World Cup matches by goalkeepers in FIFA World Cup

PLAYERCOUNTRYMATCHESEDITIONS

Manuel Neuer	Germany	21	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
Hugo Lloris	France	20	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Sepp Maier	West Germany	18	1970, 1974, 1978
Cláudio Taffarel	Brazil	18	1990, 1994, 1998
Fernando Muslera	Uruguay	18*	2010, 2014, 2018, 2026
Fabien Barthez	France	17	1998, 2002, 2006
Iker Casillas	Spain	17	2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
Peter Shilton	England	17	1982, 1986, 1990
Dino Zoff	Italy	17	1974, 1978, 1982

At 40 years and five days old, Muslera started Uruguay’s Group H match against Cape Verde alongside 40-year-and-18-day-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha. The duo became the first pair of players aged over 40 to be named in the starting line-up for a FIFA World Cup match.

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About the Author

Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor

Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist with CNN-News18 since July 1, 2024, and covers cricket with a sharp eye for records, trends, and match analysis. Based in Noida, he has reported extensively on the...Read More

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