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. Peersman

Belgium

Belgium34 yrs

Age

185 cm

Height

69 kg

Weight

Defence

Typical role

Belgium

Nationality

Career clubs

Groningen

2023–2025

125 apps⚽ 6

Aris Thessalonikis

2022

33 apps

PAS Giannina

2021

27 apps⚽ 2

Career transfers

Antwerp Dordrecht
12 Sept 2012Free transfer

Honours

Liga Leumit

Winner

Israel · 1× (2017/2018)

Eerste Divisie

Runner-up

Netherlands · 2× (2023/2024, 2013/2014)

Injury record

Illness

May 2025

Broken Foot

Jan 2025 – Mar 2025

Unknown

Jan 2025

Unknown

Oct 2024 – Nov 2024

5 recorded match-day injury flags in the corpus.

Competitions

Eredivisie· Netherlands

Super League 1· Greece

Eerste Divisie· Netherlands

KNVB Beker· Netherlands

Cup· Greece

UEFA Europa Conference League· World

Recent form

@ Ajax

Eredivisie · 0–2

67'6.0

@ Heracles

Eredivisie · 2–1

90'7.2

vs NEC Nijmegen

Eredivisie · 2–1

90'6.6

vs Excelsior

Eredivisie · 2–3

90'7.2

@ Feyenoord

Eredivisie · 1–3

90'6.9

Season by season

Season	Team	Apps	Goals	Assists	Rating
2025	Groningen	32	3	2	6.71
2024	Groningen	52	0	4	6.81
2023	Groningen	41	3	7	7.32
2022	Aris Thessalonikis	33	0	2	6.67
2021	PAS Giannina	27	2	0	—

Discipline

Yellow cards

Red cards

198

Fouls

← All World Cup stars