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The England national team will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they secure the expected qualification for a championship staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an Three Lions fixture since May 2016, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to stage the national team for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are set to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning Group B, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Protest

The championship was unveiled at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were heckled as they entered the venue by around fifty protesters, who demanded Israel to be removed from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were raised with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The inaugural fixture of Euro 2028 will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a match that will feature Wales if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will appeal to family audiences and help connect with a more diverse set of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the finals through the qualification path.

Locations and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena finalize the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches played at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a venue city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

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

In excess of three million tickets, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be offered to attendees.