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The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship campaign at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the relatively straightforward qualification for a championship taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an England men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to welcome the national team for their first match on June 10, 2028.

England are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win Group B, their last-16 tie would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Kickoff and Demonstration

The event was launched at an gathering in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they approached the venue by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be removed from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Signs were held up with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to family audiences and help reach a more diverse set of fans.

Host Nations

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the finals through that route.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals staged at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“This will be a tournament for the supporters and a celebration of everything we love about the sport – its passion and power to foster unity.”

Over 3 million tickets, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are expected to be released to fans.