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.

J. Rafferty

Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland32 yrs

Age

180 cm

Height

75 kg

Weight

Defence — centre

Typical role

Republic of Ireland

Nationality

Career clubs

Rotherham

2023–2025

92 apps⚽ 4

Portsmouth

2022–2023

69 apps

Preston

2021

9 apps⚽ 1

Career transfers

Portsmouth Rotherham
14 Jun 2024Free transfer
Preston Portsmouth
11 Jul 2022Free transfer
Rochdale Preston
23 Jan 2019

Injury record

Inactive

Mar 2025

Inactive

Feb 2025 – Mar 2025

Injury

Mar 2021 – Jul 2021

Red Card

Nov 2020

Red Card

Dec 2019

6 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

League One· England

EFL Trophy· England

League Cup· England

Championship· England

FA Cup· England

Friendlies Clubs· World

Recent form

@ Wycombe

League One · 2–3

🅰 189'6.7

vs Reading

League One · 1–1

90'6.3

vs Luton

League One · 0–2

90'7.0

@ Leyton Orient

League One · 2–0

45'6.6

@ Wigan

League One · 0–3

90'5.9

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	Rotherham	48	3	2	6.76
2024	Rotherham	44	1	1	6.78
2023	Portsmouth	44	0	4	6.91
2022	Portsmouth	25	0	3	7.10
2021	Preston	9	1	1	7.10

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

146

Fouls

← All World Cup stars