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The England national team will initiate their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the relatively straightforward entry for a tournament hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an England men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to stage the Three Lions for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Protest

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in central London on the previous evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the host FAs were heckled as they entered the location by around fifty protesters, who called for Israel’s national side to be expelled from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Banners were displayed with slogans saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of the tournament will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will include the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will appeal to families and help reach a more diverse set of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that miss out on the tournament through the qualification path.

Locations and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the game – its emotion and capacity to bring people together.”

Over 3 million passes, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to supporters.