The Three Lions to Start Euro 2028 Journey at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium

The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they attain the expected qualification for a tournament staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an England men’s match since eight years ago, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the England side for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

The team are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Protest

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the host FAs were heckled as they arrived the location by approximately 50 activists, who called for Israel to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were displayed with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

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 feature the Welsh team if they make it.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from the following campaign, will attract households and help reach a broader range of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their first game at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through that route.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight played at each country’s national stadium.

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

Official Statement

“It will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we love about the sport – its fervor and capacity to bring people together.”

More than three million passes, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to attendees.