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The England national team will commence their Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the anticipated qualification for a championship taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to stage the England side for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win their group, their round of 16 match would be held at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Kickoff and Rally

The event was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the organizing bodies were barracked as they arrived the site by about 50 protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a match that will involve the Dragons if they make it.

Wembley will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from next season, will appeal to households and help reach a wider spectrum of audiences.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the standard process.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals held at every host’s main arena.

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

Tournament Vision

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

More than three million tickets, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be made available to attendees.