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The English squad will initiate their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they achieve the anticipated entry for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an England men’s fixture since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to stage the national team for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The team are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Rally

The championship was launched at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from Uefa and the organizing bodies were heckled as they entered the location by approximately 50 protesters, who called for the Israeli team to be removed from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were held up with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of Euro 2028 will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a match that will feature the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract family audiences and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would do the same at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualification process; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on the tournament through that route.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals held at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“The event will be a championship for the fans and a festival of everything we value about the game – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million admissions, a record for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to fans.