🔗 Share this article

The English squad will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they attain the relatively straightforward qualification for a competition staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an English men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to welcome the national team for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Demonstration

The event was unveiled at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were confronted as they entered the venue by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel to be removed from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were held up with messages saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The opening game of the tournament will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a game that will involve the Welsh team if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will appeal to families and help reach a wider spectrum of fans.

Host Nations

The Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would do the same at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualification process; two automatic spots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground finalize the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight staged at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a tournament for the followers and a showcase of everything we cherish about the football – its fervor and capacity to bring people together.”

More than three million passes, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to attendees.