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The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship adventure at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the anticipated passage for a tournament taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an England men’s game since May 2016, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to welcome the Three Lions for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at the national stadium, but, if they top Group B, their knockout stage opener would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Opening and Protest

The tournament was launched at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were barracked as they approached the venue by approximately 50 protesters, who urged Israel to be removed from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The first match of the tournament will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will include Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at late afternoon.

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

Host Nations

The Irish team are due to play their first game at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the preliminary stage; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through that route.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight played at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a host city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we value about the sport – its fervor and power to bring people together.”

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