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England’s men’s team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they secure the anticipated qualification for a competition hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an Three Lions fixture since eight years ago, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to stage the Three Lions for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win their group, their last-16 tie would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Opening and Protest

The championship was unveiled at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from Uefa and the host FAs were confronted as they arrived the venue by about 50 activists, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Signs were displayed with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will feature the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for Champions League finals from next season, will attract families and help connect with a wider spectrum of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are set to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be reserved for any that do not reach the tournament through the standard process.

Venues and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches staged at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a host city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a championship for the followers and a festival of everything we love about the football – its passion and ability to foster unity.”

More than three million admissions, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to supporters.