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The English squad will initiate their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they achieve the expected entry for a competition taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an Three Lions fixture since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to host the England side for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, if they top the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Kickoff and Rally

The championship was inaugurated at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were heckled as they approached the site by around fifty protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be kicked out from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of the tournament will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will involve the Dragons if they qualify.

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

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to households and help connect with a more diverse set of fans.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualification process; two automatic spots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through that route.

Locations and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground complete the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight staged at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

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

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