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England’s men’s team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they secure the expected entry for a tournament hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an England men’s match since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to welcome the national team for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Protest

The championship was unveiled at an ceremony in central London on the previous evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were confronted as they approached the site by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel’s national side to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were displayed with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Timeline

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a game that will feature the Welsh team if they make it.

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

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to family audiences and help reach a broader range of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are due to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would do the same at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground finalize the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight held at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a tournament for the fans and a celebration of everything we value about the game – its emotion and ability to foster unity.”

Over 3 million admissions, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are expected to be made available to attendees.