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.

H. Sakai

Japan

Japan35 yrs

Age

185 cm

Height

78 kg

Weight

Defence — centre

Typical role

Japan

Nationality

International career

Caps

Intl goals

Intl assists

Career clubs

Auckland

2025

22 apps

Career transfers

Marseille Urawa
12 Jul 2021Free transfer
Hannover 96 Marseille
1 Jul 2016Free transfer

Injury record

Head Injury

Jan 2025

Hamstring

Nov 2024 – Dec 2024

Knee Injury

Nov 2023 – Dec 2023

Back Injury

Apr 2021 – May 2021

Back Injury

Apr 2021

Illness

Feb 2021

Groin Injury

Feb 2020 – Mar 2020

Knee Injury

Apr 2018 – May 2018

Hip/Thigh Injury

Mar 2018 – Apr 2018

Knock

Oct 2016 – Nov 2016

10 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

A-League· Australia

Australia Cup· Australia

Recent form

vs Sydney

A-League

90'7.0

@ Adelaide United

A-League · 3–0

89'7.0

vs Adelaide United

A-League · 1–1

90'6.9

vs Melbourne City

A-League · 1–1

120'7.3

@ Sydney

A-League · 2–2

90'6.2

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	Auckland	22	0	2	7.03

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

357

Fouls

← All World Cup stars