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The English squad will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they achieve the expected passage for a tournament staged throughout 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 friendly, but is highly likely to host the England side for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, if they top the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Kickoff and Rally

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were heckled as they approached the location by approximately 50 activists, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Placards were held up with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature Wales if they make it.

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 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract families and help connect with a more diverse set of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight played at the national stadium of each host.

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

Tournament Vision

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

More than three million tickets, a record for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to attendees.