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.

Josh Laurent

Midfield

Typical role

Career clubs

Burnley

2024–2025

39 apps⚽ 2

Stoke City

2022–2024

80 apps⚽ 8

Reading

2021

42 apps⚽ 2

Career transfers

Stoke City Burnley
30 Aug 2024Transfer
Reading Stoke City
21 Jun 2022Free transfer
Shrewsbury Reading
28 Jul 2020Free transfer
Wigan Shrewsbury
23 Jul 2018
Bury Wigan
1 Jul 2018
Wigan Bury
1 Sept 2017Loan
Hartlepool Wigan
31 Jan 2017
Newport County Hartlepool
1 Feb 2016
Brentford Newport County
19 Aug 2015Loan
QPR Brentford
14 Jan 2015

Honours

Championship

Runner-up

England · 1× (2024/2025)

Injury record

Ankle Injury

Dec 2023 – Feb 2024

16 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

Championship· England

Premier League· England

FA Cup· England

League Cup· England

Recent form

vs Wolves

Premier League · 1–1

@ Arsenal

Premier League · 0–1

19'6.6

vs Aston Villa

Premier League · 2–2

11'6.3

@ Leeds

Premier League · 1–3

54'6.5

vs Manchester City

Premier League · 0–1

87'6.2

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	Burnley	34	2	0	6.50
2024	Stoke City	9	0	2	6.49
2023	Stoke City	40	3	3	6.89
2022	Stoke City	36	5	3	6.94
2021	Reading	42	2	4	6.71

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

351

Fouls

← All World Cup stars