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The English squad will initiate their 2028 European Championship journey at the Etihad Stadium, on the condition that they attain the relatively straightforward qualification for a tournament hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an England men’s fixture since eight years ago, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to welcome the England side for their first match on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are set to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Competition Kickoff and Protest

The event was launched at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Senior figures from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the venue by about 50 activists, who demanded the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Event Fixture List

The opening game of the tournament will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will include the Welsh team if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

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

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two reserved places will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through that route.

Locations and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena round out the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a championship for the supporters and a festival of everything we value about the sport – its passion and ability to bring people together.”

In excess of three million passes, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to attendees.