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The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the anticipated qualification for a tournament staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an England men’s fixture since May 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Rally

The championship was inaugurated at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were barracked as they arrived the site by around fifty activists, who called for the Israeli team to be removed from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Event Fixture List

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature the Welsh team if they make it.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the following campaign, will attract households and help engage a more diverse set of viewers.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two reserved places will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finalize the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight held at every host’s main arena.

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

Tournament Vision

“It will be a championship for the followers and a showcase of everything we love about the sport – its emotion and ability to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million passes, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be offered to supporters.