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The English squad will commence their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they secure the relatively straightforward passage for a tournament taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an English men’s match since May 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to welcome the England side for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

England are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their last-16 tie would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Kickoff and Demonstration

The tournament was launched at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they entered the site by around fifty activists, who called for Israel to be removed from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were raised with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

The first match of the tournament will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will involve the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

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

Participating Countries

The Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be set aside for any that miss out on the finals through that route.

Venues and Playoffs

Villa Park and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight played at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a tournament for the followers and a celebration of everything we cherish about the game – its emotion and ability to unite individuals.”

More than three million admissions, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to supporters.