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.

Ben Pearson

Midfield

Typical role

Career clubs

Stoke City

2022–2025

94 apps⚽ 1

Stoke City U21

2024

2 apps

Bournemouth

2021–2022

35 apps

Career transfers

Bournemouth Stoke City
8 Jul 2023
Bournemouth Stoke City
31 Jan 2023Loan
Preston Bournemouth
29 Jan 2021Free transfer
Manchester United Preston
11 Jan 2016
Manchester United Barnsley
17 Jul 2015Loan
Barnsley Manchester United
16 Jul 2015
Manchester United Barnsley
8 Jan 2015Loan

Injury record

Unknown

Sept 2025

Unknown

Aug 2025

Hamstring

Mar 2025

Hamstring

Mar 2024 – Jan 2025

Knock

Nov 2023

Knee Injury

Aug 2022 – Oct 2022

47 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

Championship· England

League Cup· England

Premier League· England

FA Cup· England

Premier League 2 Division One· England

National League Cup· England

Recent form

@ Bristol City

Championship · 0–2

45'6.3

vs Portsmouth

Championship · 1–3

71'6.3

vs Millwall

Championship · 1–3

16'6.9

@ Wrexham

Championship · 0–2

90'7.7

vs Blackburn

Championship · 1–1

90'7.2

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	Stoke City	34	1	0	6.75
2024	Stoke City	16	0	0	6.70
2023	Stoke City	32	0	1	6.75
2022	Stoke City	23	0	1	6.72
2021	Bournemouth	26	0	1	6.58

Discipline

106

Yellow cards

Red cards

357

Fouls

← All World Cup stars