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England’s men’s team will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they attain the anticipated qualification for a championship staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an England men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to host the England side for their first match on June 10, 2028.

England are set to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, in the event of winning their group, their knockout stage opener would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean beginning the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Opening and Demonstration

The event was unveiled at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were barracked as they entered the venue by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel’s national side to be expelled from international football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Signs were raised with phrases stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a match that will include the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for Champions League finals from next season, will attract households and help engage a more diverse set of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualifying tournament; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the qualification path.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches staged at every host’s main arena.

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

Tournament Vision

“This will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the game – its passion and capacity to bring people together.”

More than three million admissions, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be offered to attendees.