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The England national team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they attain the anticipated entry for a competition staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an English men’s game since May 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to welcome the England side for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

The team are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Protest

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in a London landmark on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were heckled as they approached the location by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel to be expelled from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Event Fixture List

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will involve Wales if they qualify.

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

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to households and help engage a more diverse set of fans.

Host Nations

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

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualifying tournament; two reserved places will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Venues and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena finalize the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches held at every host’s main arena.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, 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.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a competition for the followers and a festival of everything we cherish about the football – its passion and power to foster unity.”

More than three million admissions, a record for a Euro tournament, are expected to be offered to attendees.