🔗 Share this article

The English squad will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they attain the anticipated entry for a championship hosted across the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an English men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to stage the England side for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Launch and Protest

The event was inaugurated at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they arrived the location by about 50 protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be kicked out from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be held at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will feature the Dragons if they secure a place.

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

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will attract families and help reach a wider spectrum of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that do not reach the finals through the qualification path.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena finalize the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches held at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“This will be a tournament for the fans and a celebration of everything we love about the sport – its emotion and capacity to unite individuals.”

In excess of three million passes, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be made available to attendees.