The Three Lions to Start the European Championship 2028 Journey at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium

England’s men’s team will commence their 2028 European Championship journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they attain the expected qualification for a competition hosted across the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an Three Lions fixture since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to host the national team for their first match on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their last-16 tie would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Demonstration

The tournament was inaugurated at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the organizing bodies were confronted as they entered the location by around fifty protesters, who demanded the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Signs were held up with phrases stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will involve the Welsh team if they make it.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to families and help reach a broader range of audiences.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the tournament through the standard process.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a venue city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

“It will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we value about the game – its fervor and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million passes, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are expected to be made available to attendees.