Croatia secured their place in the 2026 World Cup after defeating the Faroe Islands in the penultimate round of European qualifiers. Luka Modric is perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this achievement, as he is now on the verge of surpassing even the legendary Argentinian Diego Armando Maradona.
Modric has already participated in four World Cups with Croatia between 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022, totaling 19 appearances.
Now, the 39-year-old has the opportunity to become one of the players with the most World Cup appearances, as he is just three matches away from equaling Maradona’s record of 21 appearances for Argentina across four tournaments.
Modric could also equal Ronaldo’s record of 22 World Cup appearances, though Ronaldo is unlikely to feature in some group stage matches in 2026. Lionel Messi remains the most capped player in World Cup history with 26 appearances, a number that could increase if he confirms his participation with Argentina in the North American edition.
Germany’s Lothar Matthäus is second on the list of most capped players with 25 appearances, followed by Miroslav Klose and Italy’s Paolo Maldini, both with 24.
It’s worth noting that Modric has participated in every World Cup Croatia has played in except for two: 1998 and 2002.
