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The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, on the condition that they attain the expected qualification for a championship taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to welcome the national team for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are set to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, if they top their group, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Demonstration

The tournament was unveiled at an event in central London on the previous evening. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were heckled as they arrived the venue by about 50 protesters, who called for Israel’s national side to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will feature 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 kick-off time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to households and help reach a more diverse set of fans.

Host Nations

The Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would play similarly at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the standard process.

Venues and Playoffs

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena complete the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals held at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be held in Belfast, which was removed as a venue city last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Official Statement

“This will be a competition for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the game – its passion and ability to foster unity.”

Over 3 million admissions, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to attendees.