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

Mike Dean

EnglandActive 2015 → 20217 seasons1 seasons officiated

Home bias: +20.8pp home-win tilt vs away

183

Matches officiated

4.06

Yellow / game

0.202

Red / game

48.1%

Home-win %

27.3%

Away-win %

24.6%

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

Yellows / game4.06

Reds / game0.202

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

Competitions officiated

Premier League

England

League Two

England

League One

England

Championship

England

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

Recent matches

Leicester vs Tottenham

Match · 2001-05-05

Plymouth vs Southend

Match · 2001-04-24

Chelsea vs Charlton Athletic

Match · 2001-04-21

Ipswich vs Newcastle United

Match · 2001-04-14

Cardiff vs Torquay

Match · 2001-04-07

Aston Villa vs Leicester

Match · 2001-04-04

Walsall vs Wycombe

Match · 2001-03-24

West Ham vs Ipswich

Match · 2001-03-17

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