🔗 Share this article

The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward qualification for a competition taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not staged an English men’s game since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to host the Three Lions for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their round of 16 match would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Kickoff and Rally

The event was launched at an event in central London on Wednesday night. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were barracked as they arrived the site by around fifty activists, who demanded Israel’s national side to be kicked out from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The opening game of the tournament will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a game that will involve Wales if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will appeal to households and help connect with a more diverse set of fans.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through that route.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena complete the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight played at the national stadium of each host.

The qualification draw will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a tournament for the supporters and a festival of everything we cherish about the football – its emotion and capacity to bring people together.”

More than three million tickets, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are expected to be released to fans.