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.

Match Official

M Russell

Active 2004 → 202623 seasons16 seasons officiated

Home bias: +11.5pp home-win tilt vs away

289

Matches officiated

0.03

Yellow / game

0.003

Red / game

42.6%

Home-win %

31.1%

Away-win %

26.3%

Draw %

Public match-data aggregates over this official's recorded fixtures — outcome splits and cards per game, not SPX Quant Engine output.

Cards profile

Lenientbaseline ~3.5 yellows/game

Books 0.03 yellows per game — below the ~3.5/game public benchmark, a lenient card profile.

Yellows / game0.03

Reds / game0.003

A plain-English strictness read from public cards-per-game totals vs a fixed reference benchmark — not SPX Quant Engine output.

Competitions officiated

League One

England

League Two

England

Championship

England

National League

England

Matches officiated per competition across this official's recorded fixtures.

Recent matches

Forest Green vs Morecambe

Match · 2026-04-25

Eastleigh vs Sutton Utd

Match · 2026-03-24

Peterborough vs Stockport County

Match · 2025-11-20

Mansfield Town vs Plymouth

Match · 2025-10-28

Shrewsbury vs Cambridge United

Match · 2025-10-11

Wigan Athletic vs Blackpool

Match · 2025-04-26

Bromley vs Dorking

Match · 2023-02-18

Dorking vs Yeovil Town

Match · 2022-10-04

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