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The England national team will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they achieve the relatively straightforward entry for a championship hosted across the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not hosted an England men’s match since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to stage the Three Lions for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would take place at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Competition Kickoff and Rally

The tournament was launched at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from Uefa and the host football associations were confronted as they approached the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel’s national side to be kicked out from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Signs were held up with phrases saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Schedule

The opening game of the tournament will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will involve the Dragons if they qualify.

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

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will appeal to households and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are set to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Locations and Knockout Stage

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

The qualifying draw will be staged in Belfast, which was excluded as a venue city last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a festival of everything we love about the game – its passion and power to bring people together.”

Over 3 million admissions, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to attendees.