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The England national team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they attain the anticipated entry for a competition taking place in the majority of the UK and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an English men’s fixture since May 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to welcome the Three Lions for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

England are set to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, if they top the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Rally

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were heckled as they arrived the location by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Timeline

The inaugural fixture of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will involve Wales if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from next season, will attract family audiences and help reach a more diverse set of fans.

Host Nations

The Irish team are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualification process; two reserved places will be set aside for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through that route.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Villa Park and The North London arena finalize the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals held at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a tournament for the followers and a celebration of everything we cherish about the sport – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million passes, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be released to fans.