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The England national team will commence their Euro 2028 adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they achieve the expected entry for a competition staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an Three Lions match since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to welcome the national team for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

The team are set to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning Group B, their last-16 tie would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Protest

The event was inaugurated at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the organizing bodies were barracked as they arrived the venue by approximately 50 protesters, who called for Israel to be kicked out from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Event Timeline

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

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5pm.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract family audiences and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the preliminary stage; two automatic spots will be reserved for any that do not reach the finals through the standard process.

Venues and Playoffs

Villa Park and The North London arena round out the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches held at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a venue city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“It will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its fervor and power to foster unity.”

More than three million passes, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to supporters.