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The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward passage for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an England men’s fixture since eight years ago, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the England side for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top their group, their knockout stage opener would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Launch and Protest

The tournament was launched at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were barracked as they approached the location by around fifty protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were displayed with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

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

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to family audiences and help reach a wider spectrum of fans.

Host Nations

The Irish team are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualifying tournament; two reserved places will be set aside for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through that route.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and The North London arena round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be held in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a tournament for the fans and a celebration of everything we value about the game – its fervor and power to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be offered to supporters.