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

S. Martin

Active 2019 → 20268 seasons7 seasons officiated

Home bias: +15.5pp home-win tilt vs away

213

Matches officiated

3.56

Yellow / game

0.089

Red / game

46.0%

Home-win %

30.5%

Away-win %

23.5%

Draw %

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

Cards profile

Averagebaseline ~3.5 yellows/game

Books 3.56 yellows per game — in line with the ~3.5/game public benchmark, a average card profile.

Yellows / game3.56

Reds / game0.089

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

156

League One

England

League Two

England

FA Cup

England

League Cup

England

FA WSL

England

EFL Trophy

England

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

Notable matches

Oxford United vs Sunderland

League Cup · 2019-10-29

Final

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

Recent matches

Preston vs Southampton

Match · 2026-05-02

Hull City vs Birmingham

Match · 2026-04-18

Oxford United vs Watford

Match · 2026-04-11

Bolton vs Stockport County

Match · 2026-04-06

Norwich vs Portsmouth

Match · 2026-04-03

Swansea vs Coventry

Match · 2026-03-21

Middlesbrough vs Bristol City

Match · 2026-03-14

Wrexham vs Hull City

Match · 2026-03-10

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