Revealing the most common showdowns in international football history

As anticipation for Euro 2024 rises, nations are preparing to watch their team fight for victory. International games have provided us with memorable moments and iconic clashes such as Argentina vs Portugal (Messi vs Ronaldo), but which fixtures have been the most played worldwide?

Interested to discover the most commonly played International fixtures, the experts at SeatPick analysed international football results between 1872-2024, taking into consideration both home and away games, and also uncovering the top goal scorers.¹

Highlights from the research:

• Argentina vs Uruguay is the most common international fixture, with a total of 99 matches hosted in Argentina
• The reverse fixture (Uruguay vs Argentina) is the second most recurring international game (83 games hosted in Uruguay)
• Austria vs Hungary is the most played match in Europe
• Brazil vs Paraguay and Jersey vs Guernsey are the tenth most common fixtures, with a total of 60 games hosted
• England has played Scotland the most out of all teams (118 games to date)

The results: The most played international fixtures

SeatPick can reveal that Argentina vs Uruguay is the most commonly played international fixture, with a total of 99 matches. Argentina has won 62 of their home games against Uruguay (63%) and lost just 17.2% of their home games, displaying Argentina’s remarkable performance when playing at home. Argentina’s top scorer is Lionel Messi, with a current total of 106 goals scored for Argentina. For this year’s Copa America 2024, these two teams could potentially go head to head again. This is one of the most anticipated matches due to Uruguay being joint with Argentina, both having won the Copa America fifteen times. The reverse fixture (Uruguay vs Argentina) places second with a total of 83 home fixtures in Uruguay to date.

In second place is Uruguay Vs Argentina with a total of 83 Uruguay home fixtures to date (the reverse fixture to first place). Uruguay won 37 of its home games (45%) and lost 26%. Uruguay’s top scorer is Luis Suárez scoring a total of 46 goals throughout all international games.

Ranking third is Austria vs. Hungary, with a total of 69 international fixtures to date. Austria has won 60 (43%) of its home games against Hungary and lost just 36%. Austria’s top scorer to date is Toni Polster, with 44 goals. This is the most played fixture in Europe, and ahead of Euro 2024, these teams could potentially face each other again. The reverse fixture (Hungary vs Austria) places fourth with 68 matches.

Brazil vs Paraguay and Jersey vs Guernsey are the tenth most commonly played fixtures, with a total of 60 games hosted. Brazil has won 60% of their home games against Paraguay, and Jersey has won half of their games against Guernsey.

England’s most played fixtures

SeatPick can reveal that Scotland is the team that has played against England the most across all international matches, with a total of 118 matches. England has managed to win 41% (49/118) of games against Scotland, and scored a total of 92 goals, compared to 86 goals from Scotland.

The second team that England has played the most is Wales (105 matches played). England has in fact won the majority of games against Wales (69), losing only 14% of their games. Despite winning the majority of games, England only managed to score a total of 48 goals throughout 105 matches against Wales, demonstrating a skillful defence amongst the Welsh team. Wales’ top scorer is Gareth Bale, with a total of 41 goals scored.

In third place is Northern Ireland (99 games to date) – with all teams in the United Kingdom making the top three. England managed to win 76 of their games against Northern Ireland (77%) and lost just (7%) of games. Northern Ireland’s top goal scorer is David Healy with a total of 36 goals to date throughout international games.

Credit to https://seatpick.com/ who commissioned the data