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The English squad will commence their 2028 European Championship adventure at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the expected passage for a championship hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an Three Lions match since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to host the England side for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Demonstration

The championship was inaugurated at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they entered the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for the Israeli team to be expelled from international football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Placards were held up with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The opening game of the tournament will be held at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a game that will feature the Welsh team if they qualify.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract family audiences and help engage a more diverse set of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the qualification process; two reserved places will be reserved for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena finalize the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals held at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

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

In excess of three million admissions, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be released to attendees.