Most football (soccer) FIFA World Cup appearances as captain
- Who
- Lionel Messi
- What
- 19 total number
- Where
- Qatar (Lusail)
- When
- 18 December 2022
The most football (soccer) FIFA World Cup appearances as captain is 19, achieved by Lionel Messi (Argentina) between 2010 and 2022.
Messi first captained Argentina at the World Cup in 2010, during their group-stage clash with Greece. He led his country through seven games in 2014, four in 2018 and another seven games in 2022 – when he lifted the trophy as a World Cup-winning captain in Qatar.