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England’s men’s team will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they achieve the anticipated qualification for a tournament hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an England men’s game since eight years ago, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to stage the national team for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top their group, their last-16 tie would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Opening and Demonstration

The event was launched at an gathering in central London on the previous evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the host FAs were confronted as they entered the venue by about 50 protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Championship Schedule

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a game that will feature the Dragons if they make it.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to households and help reach a more diverse set of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are scheduled to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Scottish team would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on the finals through the qualification path.

Locations and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight held at every host’s main arena.

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

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a championship for the followers and a festival of everything we value about the football – its emotion and ability to foster unity.”

In excess of three million passes, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are expected to be made available to fans.