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The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they secure the anticipated entry for a competition taking place in the majority of the UK and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an English men’s game since May 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to stage the England side for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

The English side are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean beginning the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Championship Opening and Protest

The tournament was launched at an event in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were heckled as they approached the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Championship Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will involve the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a commencement at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, 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 viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the qualifying tournament; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through that route.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground round out the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches played at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a host city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a tournament for the fans and a celebration of everything we cherish about the game – its passion and ability to foster unity.”

In excess of three million tickets, a record for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be released to fans.