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The England national team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they secure the relatively straightforward qualification for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an English men’s game since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to stage the England side for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

England are set to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win their group, their round of 16 match would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Demonstration

The event was launched at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. Key representatives from Uefa and the organizing bodies were heckled as they arrived the site by about 50 protesters, who urged Israel to be removed from international football because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The first match of the European Championship will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will involve Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract families and help reach a wider spectrum of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would do the same at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Locations and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena finalize the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals played at every host’s main arena.

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

Leadership Comment

“It will be a championship for the supporters and a celebration of everything we love about the game – its fervor and ability to bring people together.”

More than three million tickets, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to supporters.