Gustavo Gómez leads world ranking for minutes in pre-World Cup cycle

In partnership with

OffsAIde

·10 de junho de 2026

Gustavo Gómez leads world ranking for minutes in pre-World Cup cycle

Gustavo Gómez of Paraguay and Palmeiras leads the global minutes-played ranking for the current World Cup cycle, ahead of Uruguay and Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde. According to Globo.com, Gómez has logged 19,077 minutes since qualifying began in 2023, with Valverde on 18,965.

The figures come from Flashscore, which counted official club and international matches from the start of qualifying in 2023 to 9 June 2026.

Vídeos OneFootball

Among the top 10, eight are based in Europe and two in Brazil. Four of the group are South American, and none is Brazilian. All have been called up for the World Cup.

Colombia international Jhon Arias, now at Palmeiras, sits sixth.

The European tilt underlines the weight of the continent’s calendar, while also highlighting the consistency shown by players who spent this cycle outside Europe.

Source: Globo.com