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.

A. Merkel

KazakhstanKazakhstan33 yrs

Age

179 cm cm

Height

73 kg kg

Weight

Midfield

Typical role

Kazakhstan

Nationality

International career

Caps

Intl goals

Intl assists

Career transfers

Pisa VfL Bochum
15 Aug 2016
Udinese Pisa
22 Jul 2016
Grasshoppers Udinese
1 Jun 2015
Udinese Grasshoppers
14 Jul 2014Loan
Udinese Watford
3 Jan 2014Loan
Genoa Udinese
6 Jan 2013
Genoa AC Milan
18 Jan 2012Loan
AC Milan Genoa
1 Jul 2011Transfer

Injury record

Knee Injury

Mar 2022 – Apr 2022

Knee Injury

Nov 2021 – Dec 2021

Suspended

Feb 2020

Suspended

Jan 2019 – Feb 2019

Knock

Oct 2018

Suspended

Jan 2014

Suspended

Jan 2014

5 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Recent form

@ Al-Jazira

Pro League · 1–3

90'6.7

vs Al Bataeh

Pro League · 0–0

90'6.9

vs Sharjah FC

Pro League · 1–4

⚽ 196'7.3

@ Ajman

Pro League · 1–1

90'6.6

vs Baniyas SC

Pro League · 0–1

86'7.5

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2023	Hatta SC	10	2	0	6.87
2022	Gaziantep FK	18	2	1	6.88
2021	Gaziantep FK	30	1	1	6.67
2020	Kazakhstan	2	0	1	6.75
2020	Al-Faisaly FC	27	1	2	6.96
2019	Heracles	26	2	4	7.00
2018	Heracles	34	0	1	6.65
2017	VfL Bochum	3	0	0	6.73
2017	Admira Wacker	15	1	4	6.78
2016	VfL Bochum	10	0	1	6.64
2015	Udinese	1	0	0	6.50

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

241

Fouls

← All World Cup stars