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England’s men’s team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they achieve the anticipated passage for a championship hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an English men’s fixture since eight years ago, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to welcome the Three Lions for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, should they win the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Rally

The event was unveiled at an event in a London landmark on the previous evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were confronted as they approached the venue by about 50 protesters, who urged the Israeli team to be expelled from international football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Placards were displayed with messages saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will involve the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for European club finals from next season, will cater to family audiences and help reach a wider spectrum of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualification process; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the tournament through the qualification path.

Locations and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground round out the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches held at every host’s main arena.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“It will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we love about the game – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

In excess of three million admissions, a record for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be released to fans.