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The FIFA World Cup is the holy grail for footballers on the international stage. It is the ultimate goal of players to participate and try their luck at winning the competition while they are active in the game.
Over the years, a select group of national teams have managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup more times than most other teams have. This is dependent on a number of factors, including the qualifying route and the consistency of the performances that players on these teams produce.
The quality of coaching that players receive also goes a long way in determining how successful they will be on the biggest stage.
The FIFA World Cup is one of the oldest international tournaments
The first edition of the FIFA World Cup was held in 1930 with 13 nations in participation. It replaced the Olympic football competition as the most prestigious international tournament at the time. The 2022 edition will also find its place in history as the first World Cup to be held in the latter months of the year.
The FIFA World Cup takes place once every four years and the teams spend the intervening years participating in qualifying matches and continental tournaments. Over the years, the competition has grown and more teams have been involved. Including this year, there have been 80 qualifying campaigns for the competition since its inception. There have also been eight different winners.
Without further ado, here is a list of the five countries with the most appearances at the World Cup in the history of the competition.
#5 Mexico (17 appearances)
Mexico finished in third place in the CONCACAF Qualifying zone for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, behind Canada and fierce rivals USA. They have been drawn alongside Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Poland in the group stage of the tournament in Qatar.
El Tri have made 17 appearances in the group stage of the World Cup, the most of any country from the CONCACAF region. They played France in the first ever FIFA World Cup game in 1930 in Uruguay. They are also one of only six teams to qualify for every edition of the World Cup since 1994.
Mexico, along with Brazil, are the only two nations to make it out of the group stage in each of the last seven editions of the FIFA World Cup.
They missed out on a place in the World Cup in 1934, 1938, 1974, 1982, and 1990. Their best performances came on home soil in 1970 and 1986, when they reached the quarterfinals.
#4 Italy (18 appearances)
It is unusual to see Italy miss out on a FIFA World Cup, let alone two in succession. The Azzurri are one of Europe's most successful sides in the history of the competition, but have failed to qualify this year. They were defeated at home by minnows North Macedonia in the playoff semifinals, ending their hopes of traveling to Qatar.
Italy have made 18 appearances in the competition since its inception 92 years ago. The Azzurri have won the competition four times, with their titles coming in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006.
They were the first side in history to defend their World Cup title, having won back-to-back editions in 1934 and 1938. Along with Brazil, they remain the only side to have won the tournament twice consecutively.
Italy qualified for every edition of the FIFA World Cup from 1958 to 2014, but have missed two editions since. Before 1958, they qualified in 1934, 1938, 1950 and 1954.
#3 Argentina (18 appearances)
Argentina, the 2014 FIFA World Cup finalists, recently matched their own longest running unbeaten streak in international football of 31 games after their recent 1-1 draw with Ecuador. They finished in second place behind Brazil in CONMEBOL Qualifying without losing a single match throughout.
Argentina have made 18 appearances at the World Cup finals since 1930. They won the competition twice in 1978 and 1986 when Diego Maradona inspired them to glory in the latter version. They lost to Germany in the final in 2014, the closest they have come to lifting the trophy in recent years.
Argentina reached the World Cup final in its inaugural edition in 1930 before losing to Uruguay. They only failed to qualify for the competition in 1938, 1950, 1954, and 1970.
#2 Germany (20 appearances)
Germany are one of the teams that seem to be ever-present at the FIFA World Cup. Die Mannschaft finished as champions in 2014 and secured third place in the 2010 edition. They have been one of the most consistent sides in the history of the competition.
Germany have appeared in 20 of the 22 editions of the competition since its inception in 1930. In fact, they have never failed to qualify for the World Cup. They did not register to compete in the 1930 edition and were not allowed to participate in 1950 as the war had only just ended.
Germany have also won the competition four times in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014. They also hold the record for most semifinal appearances in the history of the competition with 13. They also made the quarterfinals of every edition between 1954 and 2014. However, they suffered a group-stage elimination in 2018.
Former Die Mannschaft striker Miroslav Klose holds the record for most World Cup goals scored with 16.
#1 Brazil (22 appearances)
Going into this year's World Cup, Brazil are one of the favorites to go all the way. The Seleçao are currently ranked as the best team in international football in the latest FIFA rankings and have come through qualifying unscathed.
With the likes of Neymar, Vinicius Jr, Thiago Silva, Alisson and many other stars in their ranks, they merit the tag of favorites many have placed on them.
Brazil are the only nation to appear in every edition of the FIFA World Cup since its inception. They have never missed an edition and have won the competition more times than any other country, with their fifth and last title coming 20 years ago. They lifted the World Cup in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
Brazil's national team remains the only one to win the FIFA World Cup on four different continents. They are also the only team to have never needed a playoff to qualify for the World Cup.
