🔗 Share this article

The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they attain the expected passage for a competition taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

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

England are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, should they win their group, their knockout stage opener would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Rally

The tournament was launched at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. Key representatives from Uefa and the host football associations were heckled as they arrived the site by around fifty protesters, who called for Israel’s national side to be removed from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Championship Timeline

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a game that will involve Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for European club finals from the following campaign, will appeal to families and help engage a wider spectrum of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are set to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be reserved for any that miss out on the tournament through that route.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals staged at each country’s national stadium.

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

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a tournament for the fans and a festival of everything we value about the football – its fervor and capacity to foster unity.”

In excess of three million passes, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be made available to attendees.