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The English squad will initiate their 2028 European Championship journey at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they achieve the relatively straightforward entry for a championship hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

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

The English side are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top Group B, their last-16 tie would occur at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Kickoff and Demonstration

The event was launched at an event in central London on the previous evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were barracked as they approached the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were held up with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5pm.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to family audiences and help connect with a wider spectrum of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are due to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the finals through that route.

Venues and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches played at the national stadium of each host.

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

Official Statement

“The event will be a competition for the supporters and a showcase of everything we cherish about the game – its emotion and capacity to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be offered to supporters.