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England’s men’s team will initiate their Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they attain the anticipated qualification for a tournament hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an Three Lions fixture since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to host the national team for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Kickoff and Protest

The event was inaugurated at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were barracked as they arrived the location by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel’s national side to be expelled from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Championship Schedule

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be staged at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will feature the Dragons if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to family audiences and help connect with a more diverse set of fans.

Host Nations

The Irish team are due to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the qualification process; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight staged at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a host city last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a competition for the supporters and a celebration of everything we love about the sport – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

In excess of three million tickets, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are expected to be offered to attendees.