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The England national team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they secure the expected entry for a championship taking place in the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an England men’s match since May 2016, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to welcome the Three Lions for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the playoffs at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Kickoff and Rally

The tournament was inaugurated at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were heckled as they approached the site by about 50 protesters, who urged the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The inaugural fixture of Euro 2028 will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a match that will feature Wales if they make it.

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

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will appeal to families and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Host Nations

The Irish team are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland 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 reserved for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches played at every host’s main arena.

The draw for the qualifiers will be held in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it became clear Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the football – its passion and power to bring people together.”

Over 3 million passes, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be released to attendees.