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The English squad will initiate their 2028 European Championship adventure at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they secure the expected passage for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an England men’s match since eight years ago, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to host the national team for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

The team are planned to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their last-16 tie would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Competition Launch and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were confronted as they approached the site by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel’s national side to be expelled from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Tournament Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be staged at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a game that will include the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract family audiences and help reach a broader range of fans.

Host Nations

The Irish team are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the tournament through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

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

The qualification draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a host city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a competition for the followers and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its fervor and power to foster unity.”

In excess of three million passes, a record for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be released to attendees.