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.

M. Meulensteen

Netherlands

Netherlands26 yrs

Age

184 cm

Height

76 kg

Weight

Defence

Typical role

Netherlands

Nationality

Career clubs

GO Ahead Eagles

2022–2025

75 apps⚽ 7

Sampdoria

2024

32 apps⚽ 3

Vitesse

2022–2024

30 apps⚽ 1

Waalwijk

2021–2022

38 apps⚽ 3

Career transfers

Sampdoria GO Ahead Eagles
5 Aug 2025Transfer
Vitesse Sampdoria
25 Jul 2024
Preston Waalwijk
25 Jan 2018

Injury record

Groin Injury

Mar 2024 – Apr 2024

Knock

Feb 2024 – Mar 2024

Head Injury

Jan 2024 – Feb 2024

Unknown

Oct 2023 – Nov 2023

Knock

Feb 2022 – Mar 2022

4 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

Eredivisie· Netherlands

Serie B· Italy

KNVB Beker· Netherlands

UEFA Europa League· World

Coppa Italia· Italy

Friendlies Clubs· World

Premier League· England

Eerste Divisie· Netherlands

Recent form

@ NEC Nijmegen

Eredivisie · 1–2

90'7.0

vs PSV Eindhoven

Eredivisie · 1–4

90'7.3

@ Sparta Rotterdam

Eredivisie · 2–2

90'6.6

vs AZ Alkmaar

Eredivisie · 0–0

90'8.2

@ Groningen

Eredivisie · 0–0

90'6.9

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	GO Ahead Eagles	43	6	2	7.11
2024	Sampdoria	32	3	0	6.95
2023	Vitesse	29	1	0	6.83
2022	GO Ahead Eagles	34	2	2	6.99
2021	Waalwijk	37	2	1	6.97

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

124

Fouls

← All World Cup stars