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FIFA World Cup 2026

Mbappe eclipses Maradona by number of games at World Cup

The Frenchman entered the field from the very first minute of the game for the third place against the UK team

WASHINGTON, July 19. /TASS/. Kylian Mbappe, the striker of the French national football team, has outpaced Diego Maradona, the winner of the 1986 World Cup, by the number of matches played in the history of the tournament.

The Frenchman entered the field from the very first minute of the game for the third place of the 2026 World Championship against the UK team. He played in 22 World Championships games to become the eighth by this indicator. Now he is only outrun by Argentine Lionel Messi (33), Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo (27), Germans Lothar Matthaus (25), Miroslav Klose (24), Italian Paolo Maldini, Croatian Luka Modric and German Manuel Neuer (23 each).

Mbappe, 27, has been playing for Real Madrid since 2024. With the team, the footballer won the Spanish Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in the 2024/25 season. As a member of the French national team, he won the 2018 World Championship in Russia and the silver medal at the 2022 World Championship in Qatar.

The World Cup is being held in the US, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will end on July 19, when Spain and Argentina will play in the final.

FIFA World Cup 2026

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