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The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they secure the relatively straightforward qualification for a competition hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not staged an England men’s match since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to host the national team for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Demonstration

The championship was unveiled at an event in central London on Wednesday night. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were barracked as they approached the site by about 50 protesters, who called for Israel to be removed from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were displayed with slogans saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The first match of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will involve the Dragons if they qualify.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to households and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Host Nations

The Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the standard process.

Venues and Playoffs

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground finalize the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals held at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was removed as a venue city last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a tournament for the supporters and a festival of everything we value about the game – its fervor and ability to foster unity.”

Over 3 million admissions, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be released to supporters.