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England’s men’s team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the relatively straightforward passage for a championship staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an English men’s fixture since May 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to stage the national team for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, if they top their group, their last-16 tie would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Protest

The event was unveiled at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were barracked as they entered the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel’s national side to be kicked out from global football because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were held up with phrases saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a game that will feature Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be used for European club finals from the upcoming season, will attract family audiences and help engage a wider spectrum of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Scottish team would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that do not reach the finals through that route.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground round out the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight played at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a host city last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its emotion and capacity to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million tickets, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be offered to attendees.