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England’s men’s team will initiate their Euro 2028 adventure at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they attain the relatively straightforward passage for a tournament hosted across the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an English men’s game since May 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their round of 16 match would be held at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Opening and Rally

The tournament was inaugurated at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from Uefa and the host football associations were confronted as they entered the site by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel to be expelled from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were raised with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The opening game of the tournament will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a game that will involve the Welsh team if they make it.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

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

Host Nations

The Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the standard process.

Locations and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground complete the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight played at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a venue city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we cherish about the sport – its passion and ability to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to fans.