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England’s men’s team will embark on their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they attain the expected qualification for a championship taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an English men’s match since eight years ago, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win their group, their last-16 tie would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean beginning the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Championship Opening and Protest

The tournament was launched at an gathering in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were barracked as they arrived the site by approximately 50 protesters, who called for the Israeli team to be expelled from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were raised with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Timeline

The first match of the tournament will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature the Welsh team if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to family audiences and help engage a more diverse set of fans.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are scheduled to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the preliminary stage; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena finalize the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals played at the national stadium of each host.

The qualification draw will be held in Belfast, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a tournament for the supporters and a festival of everything we value about the game – its fervor and power to bring people together.”

Over 3 million passes, a record for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to attendees.