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The English squad will embark on their 2028 European Championship journey at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they achieve the expected qualification for a competition taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

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

The team are set to play their concluding group fixtures at the national stadium, but, should they win the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would be held at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Kickoff and Demonstration

The championship was unveiled at an event in central London on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were confronted as they arrived the location by around fifty protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be expelled from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were displayed with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will feature the Welsh team if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for European club finals from next season, will attract family audiences and help engage a wider spectrum of viewers.

Host Nations

The Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena round out the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight staged at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a championship for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million admissions, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to attendees.