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The England national team will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they attain the expected entry for a championship hosted across the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not hosted an English men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to stage the Three Lions for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at the national stadium, but, if they top the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would occur at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Kickoff and Rally

The event was inaugurated at an gathering in central London on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host football associations were confronted as they entered the location by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel’s national side to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will involve the Welsh team if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract families and help reach a more diverse set of audiences.

Host Nations

The Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Venues and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground complete the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches played at the national stadium of each host.

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

Leadership Comment

“It will be a championship for the supporters and a festival of everything we value about the football – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

In excess of three million tickets, a record for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to fans.