When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup start?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, 2026, with the opening match at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Where is the 2026 World Cup Final?

The Final will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (New York metro area) on July 19, 2026.

How many teams are in the 2026 World Cup?

48 teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup — the first time the tournament has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.

How many host cities are there?

16 host cities across 3 countries: 11 in the USA, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada.

How many matches will be played?

104 matches will be played over 39 days, from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Lameck Banda

Midfield — left

Typical role

International career

Caps

Intl goals

Intl assists

Career clubs

Lecce

2022–2025

114 apps⚽ 8

Zambia

2022–2025

51 apps⚽ 2

Maccabi Petah Tikva

2021

35 apps⚽ 10

Arsenal Tula

2021

0 apps

Career transfers

Maccabi Petah Tikva Lecce
4 Aug 2022Free transfer

Honours

Super League

Winner

Zambia · 2× (2019, 2018)

Injury record

Broken Ankle

Nov 2024 – Feb 2025

Knee Injury

Sept 2024 – Oct 2024

Knee Injury

Sept 2024

Knee Injury

Apr 2024 – Jul 2024

Knee Injury

Mar 2024

Knee Injury

Feb 2024

35 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

Serie A· Italy

Friendlies· World

Ligat Ha'al· Israel

Africa Cup of Nations· World

Coppa Italia· Italy

World Cup - Qualification Africa· World

State Cup· Israel

Toto Cup Ligat Al· Israel

Premier League· Russia

Recent form

vs Genoa

Serie A · 1–0

⚽ 165'7.2

@ Sassuolo

Serie A · 3–2

🅰 163'6.7

vs Juventus

Serie A · 0–1

76'6.9

@ Pisa

Serie A · 2–1

⚽ 171'8.3

@ Hellas Verona

Serie A · 0–0

80'6.7

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	Zambia	70	6	4	6.59
2024	Lecce	24	0	2	6.58
2023	Lecce	31	2	5	6.88
2022	Lecce	40	2	1	6.49
2021	Maccabi Petah Tikva	35	10	0	—

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

137

Fouls

← All World Cup stars