🔗 Share this article

The English squad will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they attain the relatively straightforward passage for a tournament staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an England men’s game since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to host the Three Lions for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at the national stadium, but, should they win Group B, their round of 16 match would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Competition Kickoff and Protest

The championship was inaugurated at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Senior figures from Uefa and the host football associations were confronted as they arrived the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Banners were raised with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “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 June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature the Welsh team if they make it.

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

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from next season, will attract households and help connect with a wider spectrum of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are due to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Locations and Playoffs

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground finalize the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals played at the national stadium of each host.

The qualification draw will be held in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a championship for the followers and a festival of everything we cherish about the football – its fervor and power to bring people together.”

In excess of three million passes, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to supporters.