Ochoa tied the World Cup record by playing in his sixth World Cup

Mexico national team goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa achieved a historic milestone at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The goalkeeper took the field in the match against the Czech Republic and equaled the record for the most World Cup appearances.

Mexico completed the 2026 World Cup group stage with a 3:0 victory over the Czech Republic. For Ochoa, the match marked his first appearance at the tournament after being included in the squad for his sixth World Cup of his career.

The 40-year-old goalkeeper started the match on the bench, as Raúl Rangel had secured the place in the starting lineup. However, in the 78th minute, with the score at 2:0, the coaching staff brought on the experienced goalkeeper to replace the first-choice keeper.

Ochoa finished the remainder of the match without conceding a goal, while Mexico later extended the lead to a convincing victory. As a result, the team won all three group-stage matches at a World Cup for the first time in its history.

Taking the field allowed Ochoa to equal the unique record of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — all three have participated in six FIFA World Cups.

At the same time, the Mexican has a unique World Cup story. He was included in the squad for six tournaments but played only at four of them — in 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026.

At the home World Cup, Ochoa is no longer the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for Mexico. The starting role belongs to 26-year-old Raúl Rangel, who is making his World Cup debut and has enjoyed a perfect group stage so far, conceding no goals and saving all five shots on target.

For Mexico itself, the tournament has also been special, as the team finished the World Cup group stage with a 100% winning record for the first time in history and, for the first time since 1970, did not concede a single goal in its opening three matches.