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The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 adventure at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they secure the expected qualification for a competition taking place in the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an England men’s game since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to stage the England side for their first match on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Demonstration

The championship was launched at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the site by around fifty protesters, who called for Israel’s national side to be kicked out from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Tournament Timeline

The first match of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a game that will feature the Dragons if they make it.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from next season, will attract families and help engage a more diverse set of viewers.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and The North London arena finalize the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight played at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

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

Over 3 million admissions, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be released to fans.