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The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they attain the anticipated entry for a championship staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an English men’s fixture since May 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to host the Three Lions for their first match on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at the national stadium, but, should they win the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Kickoff and Rally

The event was unveiled at an ceremony in central London on the previous evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the location by around fifty protesters, who urged the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Event Schedule

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Dragons if they make it.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for European club finals from next season, will appeal to family audiences and help reach a more diverse set of audiences.

Host Nations

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

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be reserved for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals held at every host’s main arena.

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

Official Statement

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

Over 3 million admissions, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to attendees.