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The English squad will initiate their 2028 European Championship journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the relatively straightforward entry for a competition taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an English men’s fixture since May 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the national team for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win Group B, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean beginning the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Opening and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were heckled as they entered the location by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel’s national side to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were raised with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The opening game of the tournament will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a match that will feature 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 start time at late afternoon.

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

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Venues and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a championship for the followers and a festival of everything we value about the football – its passion and ability to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million passes, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are projected to be released to supporters.