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England’s men’s team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they achieve the anticipated entry for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an England men’s fixture since May 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to host the Three Lions for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are set to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, should they win Group B, their round of 16 match would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Rally

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday night. Senior figures from Uefa and the organizing bodies were confronted as they arrived the venue by about 50 activists, who called for Israel to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Tournament Fixture List

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will involve the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to families and help reach a broader range of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through that route.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches played at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

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

Over 3 million tickets, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be made available to fans.