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The English squad will initiate their 2028 European Championship journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the expected passage for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an English men’s fixture since May 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to host the Three Lions for their first match on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Demonstration

The tournament was unveiled at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were heckled as they entered the site by about 50 protesters, who called for the Israeli team to be expelled from global football because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Event Schedule

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will feature the Dragons if they make it.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be used for European club finals from next season, will attract families and help reach a broader range of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the qualification process; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Villa Park and The North London arena complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a host city last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a tournament for the followers and a showcase of everything we love about the football – its passion and ability to foster unity.”

Over 3 million passes, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be made available to attendees.