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The England national team will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they secure the anticipated qualification for a tournament staged throughout the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an English men’s match since eight years ago, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to stage the national team for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win their group, their knockout stage opener would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Rally

The event was inaugurated at an gathering in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were barracked as they entered the site by about 50 protesters, who called for Israel’s national side to be expelled from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will involve Wales if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will appeal to families and help engage a wider spectrum of fans.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are set to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would follow suit at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the standard process.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground round out the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be staged in Belfast, which was excluded as a venue city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a competition for the fans and a celebration of everything we value about the game – its passion and ability to foster unity.”

More than three million passes, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be released to fans.