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England’s men’s team will initiate their 2028 European Championship adventure at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they secure the anticipated entry for a championship hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an English men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to welcome the national team for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top Group B, their last-16 tie would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Rally

The tournament was inaugurated at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from Uefa and the host FAs were heckled as they entered the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for the Israeli team to be kicked out from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

Banners were held up with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a match that will include the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from the upcoming season, will attract family audiences and help reach a broader range of fans.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are set to play their first game at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would follow suit at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Venues and Knockout Stage

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

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a host city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

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

Over 3 million admissions, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to supporters.