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The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they secure the anticipated qualification for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an Three Lions match since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to welcome the England side for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

The team are set to play their concluding group fixtures at the national stadium, but, should they win their group, their knockout stage opener would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Demonstration

The tournament was unveiled at an event in central London on Wednesday night. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were heckled as they approached the location by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel to be kicked out from international football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Signs were held up with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Schedule

The first match of Euro 2028 will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will include the Dragons if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

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

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would do the same at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight staged at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a tournament for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its passion and ability to unite individuals.”

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