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The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 adventure at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they attain the relatively straightforward entry for a tournament taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an England men’s game since May 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to welcome the national team for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are set to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Opening and Protest

The championship was unveiled at an event in a London landmark on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were heckled as they arrived the location by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were raised with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will involve the Welsh team if they qualify.

Wembley will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an afternoon 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.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would do the same at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the preliminary stage; two automatic spots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Locations and Playoffs

The Birmingham venue and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches played at the national stadium of each host.

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

Tournament Vision

“This will be a tournament for the fans and a celebration of everything we value about the football – its emotion and capacity to bring people together.”

In excess of three million passes, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to fans.