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World Cup 2026: Who has played the most minutes heading into the tournament?


France must battle with both heat and fatigue if they are to win the World Cup for a third time.

Didier Deschamps’ squad have been in action more than any of the leading nations, with 1,341 matches totalling 98,895 minutes.

Crystal Palace central defender Maxence Lacroix has the most starts (58) and minutes (5,009) of the France players, but the 26-year-old is only expected to be a squad pick for Les Bleus.

Bayern Munich forward Michael Olise (65), coincidentally a former Palace player, has made the most appearances but by coming off the bench 12 times he is second on minutes played (4,942).

Olise is one of 11 France players who featured at the Club World Cup. Portugal also had 11 with only Germany, on 12, having more in action in the United States last summer.

In the squad top 10 we find Portugal in second, with 1,299 matches and 96,405 minutes.

Roberto Martinez’s squad would have been closer to the top had Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot seen more cup action with Manchester United. The Red Devils failed to quality for Europe and played only one match in both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

Paris St-Germain midfielder Vitinha played the most games (66) in reaching the final of the Club World Cup and winning the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo started all 44 matches he played for Al Nassr and Portugal.

England are third, with Thomas Tuchel’s men having played more games (1,304) than Portugal but made fewer starts (1,051 to 1,092).

The workload on Harry Kane could be a concern with the captain – who is 33 next month – playing 63 games for Bayern Munich.

Morgan Rogers is the most played, featuring 64 times across 5,037 minutes for Aston Villa and England.

England have the most players (seven) to make 50 or more starts, followed by Belgium, Germany and Portugal (six).

For Germany, Bayern centre-back Jonathan Tah has played the most minutes (4,923) of Julian Nagelsmann’s squad.



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