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England’s men’s team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they attain the relatively straightforward qualification for a competition hosted across the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an English men’s game since May 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to stage the national team for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

England are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, if they top the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Competition Kickoff and Protest

The tournament was launched at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were heckled as they entered the venue by approximately 50 protesters, who demanded Israel’s national side to be kicked out from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Tournament Fixture List

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a game that will feature the Welsh team if they qualify.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract families and help reach a more diverse set of fans.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the qualifying tournament; two reserved places will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Locations and Playoffs

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena round out the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals staged at every host’s main arena.

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

Official Statement

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

In excess of three million passes, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be released to supporters.