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England’s men’s team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they achieve the anticipated entry for a competition staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an English men’s fixture since May 2016, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to stage the Three Lions for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning their group, their last-16 tie would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Rally

The tournament was inaugurated at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were confronted as they entered the location by approximately 50 protesters, who called for the Israeli team to be removed from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a game that will involve Wales if they make it.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to families and help engage a wider spectrum of fans.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the finals through that route.

Venues and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches held at the national stadium of each host.

The qualification draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a celebration of everything we love about the game – its emotion and ability to bring people together.”

Over 3 million admissions, a record for a Euro tournament, are expected to be offered to attendees.