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The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they attain the expected qualification for a tournament staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an English men’s match since May 2016, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to stage the England side for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their last-16 tie would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Championship Opening and Rally

The championship was launched at an event in central London on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were heckled as they approached the location by approximately 50 protesters, who demanded the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will include Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to families and help reach a broader range of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would do the same at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualification process; two automatic spots will be reserved for any that miss out on the tournament through the standard process.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals staged at the national stadium of each host.

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

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a championship for the supporters and a showcase of everything we love about the sport – its emotion and power to foster unity.”

In excess of three million passes, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to attendees.