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England’s men’s team will commence their Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they secure the anticipated qualification for a competition taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an England men’s game since May 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to stage the Three Lions for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would be held at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Rally

The tournament was unveiled at an gathering in a London landmark on the previous evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were heckled as they arrived the venue by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel to be kicked out from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were held up with messages saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Timeline

The first match of the European Championship will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will include Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be used for European club finals from next season, will appeal to family audiences and help engage a more diverse set of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the tournament through that route.

Venues and Playoffs

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches staged at every host’s main arena.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a championship for the supporters and a showcase of everything we cherish about the football – its fervor and capacity to bring people together.”

More than three million admissions, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be offered to attendees.