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.

Salvatore Esposito

Midfield

Typical role

International career

Caps

Intl goals

Intl assists

Career clubs

Spezia

2022–2025

93 apps⚽ 9

Sampdoria

2025

11 apps

Italy U21

2021–2025

6 apps

Spal

2021–2022

55 apps⚽ 5

Italy

2022

1 apps

Career transfers

Spezia Sampdoria
3 Jan 2026Loan
Spal Spezia
1 Jul 2023Transfer
Spal Spezia
6 Jan 2023Loan

Injury record

Inactive

May 2025

Injury

Mar 2025 – Apr 2025

Injury

Jan 2025

Yellow Cards

Jan 2025

Yellow Cards

Dec 2024

Red Card

Feb 2023

1 recorded match-day injury flag in the corpus.

Competitions

Serie B· Italy

Serie A· Italy

Coppa Italia· Italy

UEFA U21 Championship - Qualification· World

UEFA U21 Championship· World

UEFA Nations League· World

Friendlies· World

Recent form

@ Reggiana

Serie B · 0–1

90'7.2

vs Sudtirol

Serie B · 1–0

@ Cesena

Serie B · 0–0

vs Monza

Serie B · 0–3

45'7.0

@ Pescara

Serie B · 2–1

68'7.7

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	Sampdoria	12	0	0	7.30
2024	Spezia	37	7	8	7.79
2023	Spezia	44	1	4	7.54
2022	Spal	36	3	2	7.28
2021	Spal	37	3	3	6.99

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

266

Fouls

← All World Cup stars