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The England national team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they attain the anticipated entry for a tournament staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not hosted an English men’s match since May 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to stage the national team for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The English side are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, should they win their group, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Demonstration

The event was launched at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday night. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were barracked as they entered the location by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel’s national side to be kicked out from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a match that will involve the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will attract families and help reach a wider spectrum of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are due to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would do the same at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that miss out on the tournament through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena complete the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a championship for the followers and a festival of everything we love about the game – its emotion and capacity to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million admissions, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are projected to be offered to fans.