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England’s men’s team will embark on their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they achieve the relatively straightforward passage for a tournament hosted across the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an English men’s game since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the national team for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would take place at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean beginning the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Demonstration

The championship was inaugurated at an event in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they entered the site by approximately 50 protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Banners were displayed with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for European club finals from the upcoming season, will cater to households and help engage a more diverse set of fans.

Qualifying Teams

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

Each host nation’s squad will enter the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that do not reach the tournament through the qualification path.

Venues and Knockout Stage

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

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a tournament for the followers and a festival of everything we cherish about the sport – its passion and capacity to unite individuals.”

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