The English squad will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they attain the relatively straightforward entry for a tournament taking place in the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
City’s stadium has not staged an Three Lions game since May 2016, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to welcome the England side for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.
The team are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top their group, their last-16 tie would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean beginning the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Championship Opening and Demonstration
The championship was unveiled at an gathering in central London on Wednesday night. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were barracked as they entered the venue by approximately 50 protesters, who demanded the Israeli team to be removed from global football because of the situation in Gaza.
Placards were raised with messages saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”
Event Schedule
The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will involve the Welsh team if they qualify.
Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5pm.
It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract family audiences and help engage a wider spectrum of viewers.
Qualifying Teams
The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.
Each host nation’s squad will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through that route.
Locations and Elimination Phase
Villa Park and Spurs’ ground complete the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches played at every host’s main arena.
The qualifying draw will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.
Tournament Vision
“This will be a tournament for the supporters and a celebration of everything we value about the football – its fervor and power to unite individuals.”
More than three million admissions, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be released to attendees.
