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The England national team will commence their Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the relatively straightforward qualification for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an England men’s match since eight years ago, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to welcome the Three Lions for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win their group, their round of 16 match would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Protest

The championship was inaugurated at an gathering in central London on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the host football associations were heckled as they arrived the venue by approximately 50 activists, who urged the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Signs were raised with phrases saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Timeline

The opening game of the European Championship will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will feature the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for European club finals from next season, will cater to families and help reach a broader range of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are set to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the tournament through the qualification path.

Locations and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a venue city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

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

Over 3 million passes, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be made available to attendees.