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The English squad will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they secure the anticipated qualification for a tournament staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an English men’s fixture since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to welcome the Three Lions for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Rally

The event was unveiled at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the organizing bodies were heckled as they arrived the site by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were held up with slogans saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will include the Dragons if they make it.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a commencement at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will attract family audiences and help connect with a more diverse set of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly 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 do not reach the finals through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground round out the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals played at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a host city last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a tournament for the fans and a celebration of everything we value about the football – its passion and capacity to bring people together.”

In excess of three million passes, a record for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be offered to fans.