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England’s men’s team will embark on their 2028 European Championship adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward passage for a championship taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an English men’s match since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to welcome the Three Lions for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their knockout stage opener would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Kickoff and Rally

The tournament was inaugurated at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were confronted as they arrived the location by approximately 50 protesters, who called for Israel to be removed from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Event Schedule

The first match of the tournament will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will feature the Welsh team if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from next season, will appeal to households and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are scheduled to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Scottish team would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualification process; two reserved places will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Villa Park and The North London arena finalize the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches played at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a championship for the followers and a celebration of everything we love about the sport – its emotion and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million passes, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be offered to attendees.