🔗 Share this article

England’s men’s team will embark on their 2028 European Championship journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they secure the expected entry for a tournament hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an English men’s game since May 2016, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to welcome the national team for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The team are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their knockout stage opener would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Launch and Demonstration

The championship was launched at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were heckled as they arrived the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel to be removed from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Event Schedule

The first match of Euro 2028 will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a match that will feature the Welsh team if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract family audiences and help reach a more diverse set of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the tournament through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals held at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we value about the football – its fervor and power to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million passes, a record for a Euro tournament, are projected to be offered to fans.