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.

Pierre Ekwah

Midfield

Typical role

Career clubs

Watford

2025

7 apps

Sunderland

2022–2024

59 apps⚽ 5

Saint Etienne

2024

30 apps⚽ 1

Sunderland U21

2023

1 apps

West Ham

2021–2023

0 apps

West Ham United U21

2021–2022

16 apps⚽ 5

West Ham United U23

2021

21 apps⚽ 3

Career transfers

Saint Etienne Watford
1 Feb 2026Loan
Sunderland Saint Etienne
14 Aug 2025Transfer
Saint-ÉtienneSunderland
1 Jul 2025Return from loan
Saint Etienne Sunderland
1 Jul 2025Return from loan
Sunderland Saint Etienne
30 Aug 2024Loan
West Ham Sunderland
23 Jan 2023

Injury record

Calf Injury

Feb 2025 – Mar 2025

8 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

Championship· England

Premier League 2 Division One· England

Coupe de France· France

Premier League· England

Friendlies Clubs· World

UEFA Europa Conference League· World

Recent form

vs Coventry

Championship · 0–4

@ Oxford United

Championship · 0–2

vs Charlton

Championship · 1–1

@ QPR

Championship · 1–2

57'6.3

vs Leicester

Championship · 0–0

87'7.3

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	Watford	7	0	0	6.76
2024	Saint Etienne	31	1	0	6.96
2023	Sunderland	43	5	2	7.00
2022	West Ham United U21	30	5	0	6.60
2021	West Ham United U23	23	3	0	6.30

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

Fouls

← All World Cup stars