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England’s men’s team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they secure the expected entry for a tournament taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not hosted an England men’s fixture since eight years ago, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to host the England side for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top their group, their knockout stage opener would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the playoffs at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Protest

The event was inaugurated at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were confronted as they approached the venue by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Banners were displayed with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Fixture List

The opening game of the tournament will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a game that will feature Wales if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to family audiences and help reach a wider spectrum of fans.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the finals through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finalize the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be held in Belfast, which was excluded as a host city last year when it became clear Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a tournament for the fans and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its emotion and power to bring people together.”

In excess of three million passes, a record for a Euro tournament, are expected to be offered to attendees.