What are caps in football?
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What are caps in football?
In soccer, a cap is a term used to describe how many international games a player has participated in. The term originated in England where players were given a physical cap to commemorate their involvement in an international game. Players no longer receive a physical cap, but the term is still used.
Do Players Get an Actual Cap?
Many people seem to think that the physical cap has disappeared from the modern game, but this footballing phenomenon still exists in some places.
Can a Player Earn a Cap for Multiple Teams?
Still confused about how exactly those caps would be totted for? Thankfully, FIFA has come up with some guidelines about what types of games a player can earn a cap in:
- Games played within a FIFA World Cup
- Games played in the qualifying competitions for a World Cup
- Continental competitions and their qualifying games
- Friendly matches between senior national teams
- Olympic final and qualifying matches
There are plenty of opportunities, then, for an international player to boost the number of caps they’ve collected. Which brings us to our next concern: which players have racked up the most international soccer match caps over the years?
Who Has the Most Caps in Soccer?
Association football has been going on for a long, long time. The formal rules were first set out by English amateur players in 1863, and in the many years since, a wide variety of different men’s and women’s players have racked up a ton of international caps. Let’s look through some of the names at the top of the list (be warned, they’re not all household names).
Who Has the Most Caps in Men’s Soccer?
In total, well over 500 men’s players have notched 100+ caps for their international side. Below are the select few names at the top of that list (according to FIFA’s official stats).
#1. Bader Al-Mutawa
Country: Kuwait
Caps: 196
Status: Still active (last cap June 2022)
#2. Soh Chin Ann
Country: Malaysia
Caps: 195
Status: Retired (last cap in 1984)
#3. Cristiano Ronaldo
Country: Portugal
Caps: 191
Status: Still active (last cap Sep 2022)
#4. Ahmed Hassan
Country: Egypt
Caps: 184
Status: Retired (last cap in 2012)
#5. Ahmed Mubarak
Country: Oman
Caps: 180
Status: Still active (last cap in Dec 2019)
#6. Sergio Ramos
Country: Spain
Caps: 180
Status: Still active (last cap March 2021)
#7. Andrés Guardado
Country: Mexico
Caps: 179
Status: Still active (last cap Nov 2022)
#8. Mohamed Al-Deayea
Country: Saudi Arabia
Caps: 178
Status: Retired (last cap May 2006)
#9. Claudio Sánchez
Country: Mexico
Caps: 177
Status: Retired (last cap June 2006)
#10. Maynor Figueroa
Country: Honduras
Caps: 175
Status: Still active (last cap Feb 2022)
Who Has the Most Caps in Women’s Soccer?
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the long-established quality of the USA’s women’s soccer team, this is a list dominated by Americans. And some of the numbers reached are pretty mind-blowing…
#1. Kristine Lilly
Country: United States
Caps: 354
Status: Retired (last cap Nov 2010)
#2. Christine Sinclair
Country: Canada
Caps: 319
Status: Still active (last cap Nov 2022)
#3. Carli Lloyd
Country: United States
Caps: 316
Status: Retired (last cap Oct 2021)
#4. Christie Pearce
Country: United Status:
Caps: 311
Status: Retired (last cap Sep 2015)
#5. Mia Hamm
Country: United States
Caps: 276
Status: Retired (last cap Dec 2004)
#6. Julie Foudy
Country: United States
Caps: 274
Status: Retired (last cap Dec 2004)
#7. Abby Wambach
Country: United States
Caps: 255
Status: Retired (last cap Dec 2015)
#8. Joy Fawcett
Country: United States
Caps: 241
Status: Retired (last cap Aug 2004)
#9. Formiga
Country: Brazil
Caps: 234
Status: Still active (last cap Nov 2021)
#10. Caroline Seger
Country: Sweden
Caps: 232
Status: Still active (last cap June 2022)
What a list! There are some unbelievable appearance records in the international game, and several of the names mentioned in this article continue to rack up caps for their respective nations.
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Conclusion – What are caps in football?
Hopefully, you now feel you understand what a cap means in soccer and where and how this term originated.
If you are interested in more information about “caps” in soccer, visit Football Terms!
