With 196 international caps, Cristiano Ronaldo equaled the world record after coming on as a substitute against Morocco in the quarter-finals of the current World Cup.
CR7 came on in the 51st minute, replacing midfielder Ruben Neves, while his team was trailing 1-0.
He shares this lead with the Kuwaiti Bader al-Mutawa.
If he plays again in Qatar, CR7 will become the sole holder of this record.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who is 37, had his first selection in August 2003, aged 18.
The World Cup in Qatar is his fifth and he is the only player in history to have scored at least one goal in five World Cups.