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. Donohue

Active 2019 → 20268 seasons7 seasons officiated

Home bias: +8.8pp home-win tilt vs away

205

Matches officiated

3.96

Yellow / game

0.180

Red / game

42.9%

Home-win %

34.1%

Away-win %

22.9%

Draw %

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

Cards profile

Strictbaseline ~3.5 yellows/game

Books 3.96 yellows per game — above the ~3.5/game public benchmark, a strict card profile.

Yellows / game3.96

Reds / game0.180

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

Competitions officiated

Championship

England

173

FA Cup

England

League Cup

England

League One

England

League Two

England

Premier League

England

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

Notable matches

Sunderland vs Sheffield Wednesday

League One · 2022-05-06

Final

World Cup fixtures and detected finals from this official's record.

Recent matches

West Brom vs Ipswich

Match · 2026-04-25

Oxford United vs Wrexham

Match · 2026-04-21

Coventry vs Sheffield Wednesday

Match · 2026-04-11

Swansea vs Middlesbrough

Match · 2026-04-06

Oxford United vs Charlton

Match · 2026-03-14

Millwall vs Derby

Match · 2026-03-10

Bristol City vs Coventry

Match · 2026-03-07

Blackburn vs Bristol City

Match · 2026-02-24

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