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England’s men’s team will commence their Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, on the condition that they achieve the relatively straightforward passage for a championship staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an English men’s match since eight years ago, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to welcome the national team for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their last-16 tie would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Launch and Protest

The tournament was unveiled at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Senior figures from Uefa 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 removed from global football because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will include the Welsh team if they make it.

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

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to family audiences and help engage a wider spectrum of viewers.

Host Nations

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army 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 miss out on Euro 2028 through that route.

Venues and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a championship for the supporters and a celebration of everything we love about the sport – its emotion and ability to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a record for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be made available to fans.