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.

Lars Ritzka

Defence — left

Typical role

Career clubs

FC St. Pauli

2021–2025

131 apps⚽ 4

St. Pauli II

2021–2022

12 apps

Career transfers

Verl FC St. Pauli
1 Jul 2021Free transfer
Hannover 96 Verl
1 Jul 2019Free transfer

Honours

2. Bundesliga

Winner

Germany · 2× (2023/2024, 2016/2017)

DFB Junioren Pokal

Winner

Germany · 1× (2015/2016)

Injury record

Hamstring

Feb 2025

Muscle Injury

Jan 2025 – Feb 2025

Back Injury

Jan 2025

Muscle Injury

Dec 2024 – Jan 2025

4 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

2. Bundesliga· Germany

Bundesliga· Germany

DFB Pokal· Germany

Regionalliga - Nord· Germany

Regionalliga - Relegation Round· Germany

Recent form

vs VfL Wolfsburg

Bundesliga · 1–3

@ RB Leipzig

Bundesliga · 1–2

64'6.3

vs FSV Mainz 05

Bundesliga · 1–2

45'7.2

@ 1. FC Heidenheim

Bundesliga · 0–2

27'6.7

vs 1. FC Köln

Bundesliga · 1–1

65'6.6

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	FC St. Pauli	23	0	0	6.57
2024	FC St. Pauli	31	2	0	6.71
2023	FC St. Pauli	32	2	1	6.81
2022	St. Pauli II	36	0	1	6.72
2021	St. Pauli II	21	0	0	6.47

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

Fouls

← All World Cup stars