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The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they achieve the expected passage for a competition taking place in the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an English men’s game since May 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to welcome the England side for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Demonstration

The event was launched at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were barracked as they entered the location by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Championship Timeline

The first match of Euro 2028 will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will include Wales if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the following campaign, will attract families and help reach a wider spectrum of fans.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Locations and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a competition for the followers and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its emotion and capacity to bring people together.”

More than three million passes, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to attendees.