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England’s men’s team will initiate their 2028 European Championship journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they attain the anticipated qualification for a tournament staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an Three Lions match since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the national team for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would take place at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Kickoff and Demonstration

The event was inaugurated at an ceremony in a London landmark on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were barracked as they approached the venue by about 50 protesters, who urged the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Fixture List

The first match of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will involve Wales if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract families and help connect with a more diverse set of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualification process; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the qualification path.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and The North London arena round out the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals staged at each country’s national stadium.

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

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a tournament for the fans and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its fervor and capacity to unite individuals.”

In excess of three million passes, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be made available to fans.