The September international break marks Argentina’s final step in the World Cup qualifiers. With their spot in the tournament already secured, the matches against Venezuela and Ecuador lack the intensity of previous encounters—but that doesn’t mean they’re meaningless. In fact, for Lionel Messi, they carry significant personal weight, as he reached a historic record.
By being named in the starting lineup for Thursday’s match against Venezuela, Messi became the player with the most appearances in the history of the South American qualifiers. The 38-year-old forward reached 72 matches, equaling the record previously held solely by Ivan Hurtado.
The Ecuadorian center-back set that mark over two decades with the national team, from his debut in 1992 to his final appearance in 2014. During that span, Hurtado took part in five World Cup qualifying campaigns, helping Ecuador reach the tournaments in Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006.
Now Messi joins that elite company—with one key distinction in his favor. Unlike Hurtado, the Argentine star has participated in six different qualifying cycles, and in each of them, he successfully helped Argentina reach the World Cup.
Ecuador legend Ivan Hurtado.
Leo made his qualifiers debut under coach Jose Nestor Pekerman in 2005, during the lead-up to Germany 2006. At the time, he had a secondary role and played in only three matches, but in the years that followed, he became a crucial part of the team. With Argentina, Messi successfully navigated the qualifiers for South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, Qatar 2022, and now the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
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Messi’s other record in World Cup qualifiers
Lionel Messi can now make a strong case for being the most important player in the history of the South American World Cup qualifiers. That’s not only due to the number of successful campaigns he’s been part of—or the fact that he shares the record for most appearances.
The Argentine forward is also the all-time leading scorer in the history of South American World Cup qualifiers. Between 2005 and 2025, he scored 34 goals for Argentina, surpassing Uruguay’s Luis Suarez (29), Bolivia’s Marcelo Moreno Martins (22), and Chile’s Alexis Sanchez (20).
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Will Messi hold the record alone?
With 72 appearances, Messi currently shares the top spot with Ivan Hurtado. At 38 years old, it’s clear the forward won’t begin another qualifying campaign with Argentina ahead of the 2030 World Cup. That means he’ll need to play in Matchday 18 of this tournament to claim the record outright.
Next Tuesday, September 9, Argentina will wrap up their World Cup qualifiers campaign with a match against Ecuador in Guayaquil. Given that Lionel Scaloni’s squad has already qualified, there’s speculation Messi may skip the trip. This would allow him to return early to the United States and rest ahead of a crucial stretch with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. However, no official decision has been announced.
