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England’s men’s team will initiate their 2028 European Championship journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward qualification for a tournament taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an England men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to stage the Three Lions for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The English side are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, in the event of winning their group, their round of 16 match would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Demonstration

The event was launched at an gathering in central London on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were heckled as they arrived the venue by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel to be removed from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Event Timeline

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be staged at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will include Wales if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to households and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

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

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through that route.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals staged at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“It will be a championship for the followers and a showcase of everything we value about the game – its emotion and power to bring people together.”

In excess of three million admissions, a record for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to supporters.