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The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 adventure at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they attain the expected qualification for a championship staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an England men’s fixture since eight years ago, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

England are planned 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 St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Rally

The event was unveiled at an gathering in central London on the previous evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the host football associations were heckled as they entered the venue by about 50 protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a game that will feature the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from the upcoming season, will attract families and help reach a wider spectrum of viewers.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the tournament through that route.

Locations and Knockout Stage

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

The qualifying draw will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a venue city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a competition for the supporters and a celebration of everything we cherish about the football – its emotion and ability to bring people together.”

More than three million admissions, a record for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to attendees.