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The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they secure the expected qualification for a championship hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an English men’s fixture since May 2016, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to stage the England side for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are scheduled 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 occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean beginning the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Launch and Protest

The event was launched at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the location by around fifty protesters, who called for Israel to be expelled from global football because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will involve the Welsh team if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to families and help reach a broader range of fans.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the standard process.

Locations and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals played at the national stadium of each host.

The qualification draw will be staged in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a competition for the fans and a festival of everything we cherish about the game – its passion and ability to unite individuals.”

More than three million admissions, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are projected to be released to attendees.