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The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship adventure at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they secure the relatively straightforward entry for a championship staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an England men’s match since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to host the England side for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their knockout stage opener would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Protest

The tournament was unveiled at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the host FAs were confronted as they entered the site by about 50 activists, who urged Israel to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were raised with messages saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Timeline

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will involve the Dragons 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 start time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to family audiences and help reach a broader range of fans.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would follow suit at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Venues and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches staged at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a championship for the followers and a festival of everything we value about the sport – its emotion and power to foster unity.”

More than three million tickets, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be made available to fans.