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The England national team will initiate their Euro 2028 adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they achieve the relatively straightforward entry for a competition staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an England men’s match since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to stage the national team for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Kickoff and Rally

The event was launched at an event in central London on the previous evening. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were confronted as they entered the venue by approximately 50 activists, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were displayed with phrases saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Timeline

The first match of the tournament will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a game that will involve the Dragons if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract families and help engage a wider spectrum of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on the tournament through the standard process.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

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

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

Official Statement

“It will be a championship for the supporters and a celebration of everything we value about the game – its fervor and power to foster unity.”

Over 3 million admissions, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be made available to fans.