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England’s men’s team will commence their Euro 2028 adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they attain the anticipated qualification for a championship taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an England men’s game since May 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to host the national team for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, if they top their group, their last-16 tie would be held at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Kickoff and Protest

The event was inaugurated at an gathering in central London on Wednesday night. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were heckled as they arrived the venue by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Placards were raised with slogans saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Fixture List

The opening game of the European Championship will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will feature the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be used for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract families and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Host Nations

The Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the tournament through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena round out the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight held at the national stadium of each host.

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

Tournament Vision

“This will be a championship for the supporters and a showcase of everything we love about the game – its fervor and power to unite individuals.”

In excess of three million tickets, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be released to attendees.