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The English squad will embark on their 2028 European Championship journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they achieve the expected qualification for a tournament hosted across the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an England men’s game since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to host the national team for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their last-16 tie would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Demonstration

The championship was unveiled at an event in central London on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they arrived the venue by around fifty protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be kicked out from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a match that will feature the Dragons if they secure a place.

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

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the upcoming season, will cater to households and help reach a broader range of fans.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and the Scottish team would follow suit at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and The North London arena round out the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a venue city last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a festival of everything we cherish about the sport – its passion and capacity to unite individuals.”

In excess of three million passes, a record for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to attendees.