Manuel Neuer’s start for Germany against Curaçao made him the country’s oldest player in a major tournament finals match.
Manuel Neuer added another entry to his long international résumé by starting for Germany against Curaçao in the team’s opening match at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the oldest player to appear for Germany in the final stage of a major tournament.
The appearance moved Neuer past Lothar Matthäus, who had held the German mark since playing against Portugal at Euro 2000 at 39 years and 90 days old, according to Varzesh3. Neuer’s start also placed him among the 10 oldest players ever to appear in a World Cup match and made him only the eighth player aged 40 or older to play in the tournament.
The milestone reflects a notable theme of this World Cup: several of the competition’s best-known veterans are still close to the center of their national teams, even as age records shift from match to match. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s captain, is expected to change the list again if he appears, with Varzesh3 reporting that he would rise to fourth among the oldest World Cup players.
Ronaldo, however, is not the oldest player at the tournament. That distinction belongs to Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who is 43 but was on the bench for Scotland’s first match, according to the report.
Beyond Gordon, Ronaldo and Neuer, the tournament includes four other players in their 40s: Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, Bosnia forward Edin Džeko, Croatia midfielder Luka Modrić and Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha. Ochoa and Džeko were substitutes in their teams’ opening matches, while Modrić and Vozinha were expected to feature for their sides.
For Neuer, the record is already secure in Germany’s history. The wider World Cup age list may not stay still for long.
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