As of September 2025, Hakan Şükür is the all-time leader in goals scored for the national football team of Turkey, with a total of 51 goals scored. Şükür retired from the national team in 2007 after playing in 112 international matches. He is trailing in goals in front of Burak Yılmaz with 31 goals, who played in the national team until 2022, and Tuncay Şanlı with 22 goals, who retired from the national team in 2010. World Cup history Turkey did not qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. Turkey qualified for the World Cup in 1950 in Brazil for the first time but withdrew from it. After that, Turkey played in the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland but did not pass the group stage. Since then, Turkey qualified for the tournament just once, in 2002 in South Korea and Japan, and came in third place. Stadium attendance The match with the highest attendance that Turkey played in 2018 was against Russia on October 14th in Fisht Stadium in Sochi and hosted 38,288 stadium spectators. The match with the highest attendance in history in which Turkey played was back in 1961 against the USSR in Lenin in front of 102,000 attendees. Stadium popularity seems to be rising in the Süper Lig, which is the top-tier football league in Turkey, with an average of nine thousand spectators per match in 2019/20, roughly double the years before.

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Lionel Messi had as of ********** with more than *** goals in international matches, which placed him above Neymar by around *** goals as the all-time top international goal scorer from South America. During the last FIFA World Cup, Messi hit the back of the net ***** times.

Who is next in line for the throne?

At the moment, only Neymar could challenge Messi’s record, not only because the Brazilian is second on the list but also because he is the only other active player among the top eight. Though the task is certainly not easy. Messi has been an active senior player since 2004, while Neymar has an ongoing professional career since 2009.

'La Albiceleste' during Messi’s reign

The World Cup title won by Argentina in ********** is probably one of the most significant trophies for Messi, as it was the only big honor missing from his impressive list. Messi had already taken the Olympic and the Copa América title in 2021 and was also FIFA U-20 World Champion in 2005. However, the Argentine national team with Messi has not only had good times. The position of this South American senior squad in the FIFA World Ranking has fluctuated during his tenure. However, the team managed to finish 2022 in the second spot of the overall ranking.

As of September 10, 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo was the all-time leading goal scorer for the Portuguese men's football team. With 141 goals to his name, Ronaldo rests at the top of the leaderboard, having scored more than 2.5 times the number of goals registered by second-placed Pauleta and third-placed Eusébio. Cristiano Ronaldo's legacy Few athletes can claim to rival Cristiano Ronaldo's football career. Having already won numerous trophies in England, Spain, and Italy, the Portuguese forward is the highest-paid soccer player worldwide following his signing by Saudi Arabian football club Al-Nassr. Although Al-Nassr does not compete in the UEFA Champions League, Ronaldo's legacy as the player with the most goals in the tournament will continue. Portuguese men's national soccer team As of July 2025, the Portuguese men's national soccer team was in sixth position globally according to FIFA's ranking. In 2025, A Seleção Portuguesa boasted several players with a net worth above 50 million euros in their line-up, with the most valuable player being Vitinha, who plays at club level for the Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain. Rúben Dias and Bernard Silva, some of the most valuable players, were also amongst the most expensive players at the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar in 2022.

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All-time top France national football team goal scorers complete list

All-time top United States national soccer team goal scorers complete list

Messi, Barbosa, and Álvarez made up the top three international goal scorers from Latin America between January and September 2021. In those months, these renown footballers scored ****** goals each during international matches.

All-time top Scotland national football team goal scorers complete list

Robert Lewandowski stands as the undisputed goal-scoring king for Poland's national football team, with an impressive tally of 84 goals. This remarkable achievement dwarfs the second-place record held by Wlodzimierz Lubanski, who netted 44 goals during his career. Lewandowski's prowess on the field has not only etched his name in Polish football history but also elevated the team's profile on the international stage. World Cup performances and stadium attendance Poland's national team has a rich history in FIFA World Cup competitions. Prior to the 2018 tournament, Poland had participated in 31 World Cup matches, emerging victorious in 15 of them. This track record underscores the team's competitive spirit on the global stage. The passion for football in Poland is further evidenced by impressive attendance figures at national team matches. In 2024, the highest attendance was recorded during a match against Portugal, drawing over 56,000 fans to PGE Narodowy in Warsaw. Home grounds and historic crowds The Polish national team has played its home matches across various stadiums, with Stadion Śląski in Chorzow hosting the most games at 47. Interestingly, among the top 20 most frequented stadiums, six are located in Warsaw. The team's ability to draw massive crowds is highlighted by the all-time attendance record set on September 14, 1958, when 110,000 spectators packed the stadium in Chorzow for a match against Hungary. This enduring support demonstrates the deep-rooted football culture in Poland.

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As of December 2022, David Villa had the most goals for the Spanish men’s soccer team with 59 goals. Villa played as a striker for Selección Española de Fútbol between 2005 and 2017 and reached his tally of 59 goals in less than 100 international games.

From among the leading goal scorers of the Spanish national team, Alberto Morata and Sergio Ramos are the only players available for call-ups to the national team.

Spain’s national soccer squad

The Spanish national team, known colloquially as La Furia Roja, was dominant in international games between 2008 and 2012. From the list of trophies and honors won by Spain’s national football team, three major global tournaments were won during this period. Since the squad was placed eighth in the FIFA world ranking of leading men’s national soccer teams of September 2021, the Spanish side would have to emulate their winning form from 2008 to 2012 if they are to emerge victorious in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

La Liga and Copa del Rey

The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División — also known as La Liga Santander— is Spain’s highest tier of professional football, with 20 clubs competing annually. As of November 2021, Real Madrid topped the chart of La Liga titles won in Spain, with 34 trophies won by Los Blancos. By contrast, the Copa del Rey is a knockout tournament in which 126 teams from several divisions of Spanish football compete. Barcelona – Real Madrid’s fiercest rivals – was the team with the most Copa del Rey triumphs as of September 2021.

Context

Well, what happened was that I was looking for a semi-definite easy-to-read list of international football matches and couldn't find anything decent. So I took it upon myself to collect it for my own use. I might as well share it.

Content

This dataset includes 48,673 results of international football matches starting from the very first official match in 1872 up to 2025. The matches range from FIFA World Cup to FIFI Wild Cup to regular friendly matches. The matches are strictly men's full internationals and the data does not include Olympic Games or matches where at least one of the teams was the nation's B-team, U-23 or a league select team.

results.csv includes the following columns:

• date - date of the match
• home_team - the name of the home team
• away_team - the name of the away team
• home_score - full-time home team score including extra time, not including penalty-shootouts
• away_score - full-time away team score including extra time, not including penalty-shootouts
• tournament - the name of the tournament
• city - the name of the city/town/administrative unit where the match was played
• country - the name of the country where the match was played
• neutral - TRUE/FALSE column indicating whether the match was played at a neutral venue

shootouts.csv includes the following columns:

• date - date of the match
• home_team - the name of the home team
• away_team - the name of the away team
• winner - winner of the penalty-shootout
• first_shooter - the team that went first in the shootout

goalscorers.csv includes the following columns:

• date - date of the match
• home_team - the name of the home team
• away_team - the name of the away team
• team - name of the team scoring the goal
• scorer - name of the player scoring the goal
• own_goal - whether the goal was an own-goal
• penalty - whether the goal was a penalty

former_names.csv includes the following columns: - current - name of the team as is used currently (or the last name if the team does not exist anymore) - former - former name used by said team - start_date - start date of when former name was used - end_date - end date of when former name was used

This notebook shows the basics of how to use former_names.csv

Note on team and country names: For home and away teams the current name of the team has been used. For example, when in 1882 a team who called themselves Ireland played against England, in this dataset, it is called Northern Ireland because the current team of Northern Ireland is the successor of the 1882 Ireland team. This is done so it is easier to track the history and statistics of teams.

For country names, the name of the country at the time of the match is used. So when Ghana played in Accra, Gold Coast in the 1950s, even though the names of the home team and the country don't match, it was a home match for Ghana. This is indicated by the neutral column, which says FALSE for those matches, meaning it was not at a neutral venue.

Acknowledgements

The data is gathered from several sources including but not limited to Wikipedia, rsssf.com, and individual football associations' websites.

Inspiration

Some directions to take when exploring the data:

• Who is the best team of all time
• Which teams dominated different eras of football
• What trends have there been in international football throughout the ages - home advantage, total goals scored, distribution of teams' strength etc
• Can we say anything about geopolitics from football fixtures - how has the number of countries changed, which teams like to play each other
• Which countries host the most matches where they themselves are not participating in
• How much, if at all, does hosting a major tournament help a country's chances in the tournament
• Which teams are the most active in playing friendlies and friendly tournaments - does it help or hurt them

The world's your oyster, my friend.

Contribute

If you notice a mistake or the results are not updated fast enough for your liking, you can fix that by submitting a pull request on Github: https://github.com/martj42/international_results

This dataset offers a comprehensive record of international football matches from the very first game in 1872 to the present day in 2024. It covers a broad spectrum of football matches, including major tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and various friendly matches. With a total of 47,126 match records, this dataset is a valuable resource for analyzing historical trends, team performances, and match outcomes over more than a century of international football.

Key Features

• Extensive Coverage: The dataset includes detailed information on 47,126 international football matches, providing a rich historical archive of over 150 years.
• Diverse Match Types: Records include results from high-profile tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and lesser-known events like the FIFI Wild Cup, as well as numerous friendly matches.
• In-depth Details: Each record features comprehensive match details, including scores, dates, locations, and tournament names.
• Player and Team Insights: The dataset includes information on goal scorers, penalty shootouts, and own goals, offering a deeper understanding of match events and player performances.

File Breakdown

1) Match_Results.csv - Date: The date when the match was played. - Home Team: The team playing at home. - Away Team: The team playing away. - Home Score: The score of the home team, including extra time but not penalty shootouts. - Away Score: The score of the away team, including extra time but not penalty shootouts. - Tournament: The name of the tournament or competition in which the match was played. - City: The city where the match was held. - Country: The country where the match took place. - Neutral: Indicates if the match was played at a neutral venue (TRUE/FALSE).

2) Penalty_Shootouts.csv - Date: The date of the match. - Home Team: The name of the home team. - Away Team: The name of the away team. - Winner: The team that won the penalty shootout. - First Shooter: The team that took the first shot in the penalty shootout.

3) Goal_Scorers.csv - Date: The date of the match. - Home Team: The name of the home team. - Away Team: The name of the away team. - Team: The team that scored the goal. - Scorer: The player who scored the goal. - Minute: The minute when the goal was scored. - Own Goal: Indicates if the goal was an own goal (TRUE/FALSE). - Penalty: Indicates if the goal was scored from a penalty (TRUE/FALSE).

Data Usage

• Historical Analysis: This dataset is ideal for exploring the history of international football, including changes in team performances and the evolution of the sport over the decades.
• Performance Trends: Analyze trends in team performance across different eras, including how teams have fared in various tournaments and friendlies.
• Geopolitical Insights: Investigate how geopolitical changes have impacted international football, including changes in team names and country borders over time.
• Match Statistics: Detailed statistics on scores, penalty shootouts, and goal scorers provide insights into match dynamics and player contributions.

Additional Notes

• Team and Country Names: The dataset uses current names for teams to simplify historical tracking. For example, teams that were known by different names in the past are referred to by their current names to maintain consistency.
• Geographic and Temporal Coverage: Covering matches played worldwide from 1872 to 2024, this dataset provides a global perspective on international football history.

Acknowledgement

Full credit goes to Mart Jürisoo for the original work on international football results. The dataset titled International Football Results from 1872 to 2017 provided the foundational data and inspiration for this comprehensive historical archive.

The purpose of sharing this dataset is to foster collaborative research and analysis within the football community. By making this extensive historical data available, we aim to support studies on historical trends, team performances, and the evolution of international football over more than 150 years. This dataset is intended to be a valuable resource for researchers, analysts, and enthusiasts who wish to explore the rich history of international football and gain deeper insights into the sport's development.

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As of September 2025, Davor Suker was the all-time top scorer for the national soccer team of Croatia, with a total of ** goals. Suker retired from the national team in 2002 after an international career lasting 12 years. Meanwhile, second-placed Ivan Perišić has surpassed Mario Mandžukić, who played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Croatia finished as runners-up.

Overview

This dataset is a goal-by-goal archive of international football (soccer) from 1872–2022, giving a fine-grained view of how matches are decided and who scores when. Because each goal is a separate row, it supports detailed analysis of scoring patterns, player impact, and match dynamics over 150 years.

Key Points

• Coverage: International matches from 1872 to 2022, recorded at the goal level (not just match summaries).
• Structure (goal-level):
  • Every row represents one goal.
  • Matches with multiple goals appear as multiple rows — perfect for time-series or event-level analysis.

• Typical columns included:

  • Date — match date
  • Home Team / Away Team — competing national teams
  • Scoring Team — which side scored the goal
  • Player (Scorer) — player who scored the goal
  • Minute — match minute when the goal occurred
  • OwnGoal — flag if it was an own goal
  • Penalty — flag if it was a penalty
  • Match ID / Competition / Venue (if available) — useful for grouping and filtering

• Analyses this enables:

  • Temporal patterns (e.g., average goal minute, scoring bursts by period)
  • Penalty and own-goal frequency and their influence on outcomes
  • Player-level contributions (top scorers, clutch minutes)
  • Team-level trends (home vs away scoring, eras of dominance)
  • Match event modeling (probability of additional goals after the first, influence of competition type)

• Who benefits:

  • Sports analysts and data journalists for stories and visualizations
  • Coaches and scouts for performance insights
  • Researchers studying long-term changes in the game (tempo, scoring rates)
  • Educators and students for teaching event-level data analysis

• Value: The goal-level format provides richer, event-based insights than match-level datasets, enabling both descriptive and predictive studies of international football.

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With 51 goals scored throughout his career, Alexis Sánchez ranked as the leading all-time scorer of the Chilean national soccer squad as of September 2024. Sánchez, at that time playing for Olympique Marseille in France, surpassed the second footballer in the list by eight goals.

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