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The English squad will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they secure the expected passage for a tournament taking place in the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an England men’s match since May 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to host the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are set to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Demonstration

The tournament was unveiled at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they arrived the venue by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Fixture List

The first match of Euro 2028 will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will cater to families and help reach a more diverse set of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground finalize the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a championship for the supporters and a celebration of everything we cherish about the football – its fervor and power to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million passes, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be made available to fans.