CORNERFLICKJavier Mascherano holds the record for the most yellow cards in World Cup history. The former Argentina captain was booked seven times in 20 appearances across the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 tournaments.
He set the mark in Argentina’s round-of-16 defeat by France at the 2018 World Cup, the final international match of his career. A yellow card in that game took him past the previous record of six, shared by Zinedine Zidane, Cafu and Rafael Márquez.
Mascherano’s haul also underlined the combative style that defined his playing career. He finished with 147 caps for Argentina and remains one of the national team’s most familiar figures.
With the 2026 World Cup one week away and expanded to 48 teams for the first time, attention has turned to Nicolás Otamendi. The Argentina defender has already picked up five yellow cards at World Cups and could move closer to Mascherano’s record in North America.