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The England national team will initiate their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they achieve the relatively straightforward qualification for a championship hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an English men’s fixture since May 2016, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to welcome the Three Lions for their first match on June 10, 2028.

England are set to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their knockout stage opener would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean starting the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Opening and Protest

The championship was launched at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Senior figures from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they arrived the location by around fifty activists, who urged Israel’s national side to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were held up with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Schedule

The opening game of the tournament will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to family audiences and help engage a wider spectrum of audiences.

Host Nations

The Irish team are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would play similarly at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Venues and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals held at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be held in Belfast, which was excluded as a host city last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a tournament for the supporters and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its passion and capacity to bring people together.”

In excess of three million admissions, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be made available to supporters.