In association football, 57 players have played at least 1,000 official matches. Regarding B teams and reserve teams, appearances for such teams are only included if made in the primary football pyramid and not in reserve divisions. Appearances made in youth football are not deemed to be official. War-time results are also excluded if they were later regarded as unofficial by the relevant Football Association(s); if they were included, Billy Meredith would be the first ever player to have played in 1,000 official matches, and Stanley Matthews would also make the list.
Brazilian goalkeeper Fábio holds the record for the most official appearances since 25 October 2025, with 1,414 matches in total. Former record-holding English goalkeeper Peter Shilton became the first footballer to make 1,000 league appearances in 1996.
Regarding amateur football, in March 2022, Robert Carmona from Uruguay was reported as having played around 2,200 official matches.
12:30, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
NOTE: Only professional and players who had a professional career are included.
Bold indicates the player is currently active.
+ indicates there may be more matches.
Notes
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