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The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they attain the relatively straightforward entry for a tournament hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an Three Lions game since May 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to welcome the England side for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top Group B, their round of 16 match would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Competition Opening and Rally

The event was launched at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were confronted as they approached the site by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Championship Timeline

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract households and help connect with a more diverse set of audiences.

Host Nations

The Irish team are due to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would do the same at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the tournament through that route.

Venues and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground finalize the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be held in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a championship for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its passion and power to bring people together.”

More than three million tickets, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be released to supporters.