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The English squad will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they achieve the anticipated entry for a tournament taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an Three Lions fixture since eight years ago, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to host the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their knockout stage opener would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Rally

The championship was inaugurated at an gathering in a London landmark on the previous evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were confronted as they arrived the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel’s national side to be expelled from global football because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Tournament Fixture List

The opening game of the European Championship will be staged at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a game that will include the Dragons if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be used for European club finals from the following campaign, will appeal to families and help engage a more diverse set of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would play similarly at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will enter the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finalize the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals played at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a championship for the fans and a festival of everything we value about the football – its passion and ability to foster unity.”

More than three million passes, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to attendees.