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The English squad will initiate their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they attain the relatively straightforward entry for a tournament staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an English men’s match since May 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to host the England side for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, should they win Group B, their knockout stage opener would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Launch and Rally

The championship was launched at an gathering in central London on the previous evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were confronted as they entered the location by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel’s national side to be expelled from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Event Fixture List

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will include the Dragons if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to households and help engage a more diverse set of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the finals through the qualification path.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals held at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a competition for the supporters and a celebration of everything we love about the game – its fervor and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million admissions, a record for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be released to supporters.