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England’s men’s team will initiate their Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they attain the anticipated entry for a tournament hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an English men’s game since eight years ago, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their round of 16 match would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the playoffs at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the organizing bodies were confronted as they arrived the venue by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Signs were raised with phrases saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Schedule

The first match of the tournament will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include Wales if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract families and help connect with a wider spectrum of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the tournament through the standard process.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground complete the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches played at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be held in Belfast, which was excluded as a host city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

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

In excess of three million tickets, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be released to attendees.