Ronaldo most caps 

Brazil 10th & Egypt 32nd: All 48 World Cup nations ranked by caps

©TM/IMAGO

Excitement has reached a peak with the 2026 World Cup commencing in just a few days. Co-hosts Mexico will kick-off the festival of football against South Africa on June 11 in the most global competition in the world. The World Cup has been extended to 48 nations, from six different continents, and supporters from across the globe will descend on North America over the coming weeks.

Due to eye-watering ticket prices and accommodation costs, billions of people from around the world will watch at home, cheering on their heroes. France, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and England are amongst the favourites to be crowned champions in New Jersey on July 19. It’s frequently said that experience is paramount at major international tournaments. Therefore, using Transfermarkt’s vast database, we’ve analysed which nations have the most experienced squads based on combined caps.

The most/least experienced World Cup squads

To conclude our findings, we’ve calculated the total caps of every single player in each nation’s squad. This data was accurate as of June 9, but we have provided a link to the full results for all 28 nations, which will naturally update as they play friendlies and as the tournament progresses – you can access that below.

It will come as no surprise to fans of international football, that Croatia have the most experienced squad at the World Cup. Zlatko Dalic’s squad have amassed 2,479 caps between them with seven players over 30, Luka Modrić is their oldest player at 40. Reigning holders Argentina rank second with a combined 2,359 caps and Lionel Messi is their most experienced captain with the Barcelona legend set to reach the 200 cap milestone. As the graphic below illustrates, Portugal ranks third (2,317) with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the way with an incredible 227 caps and 143 goals.

When it comes to the least experienced squads, South Africa have the fewest caps in their squad with just 473. Perhaps surprisingly, Sweden occupy second place with 518, followed by Bosnia in third. Minnows Curaçao and Haiti are playing at their first ever World Cup and they complete the top five. Despite being the favourites, Spain have the 11th least experienced squad in the tournament with Lamine Yamal playing at his first World Cup.

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