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England’s men’s team will embark on their 2028 European Championship adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they achieve the expected passage for a competition staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

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

The team are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win their group, their knockout stage opener would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Competition Kickoff and Demonstration

The tournament was inaugurated at an event in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the host football associations were confronted as they entered the location by around fifty activists, who demanded the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Placards were displayed with phrases stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will include Wales if they qualify.

Wembley will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will attract family audiences and help reach a broader range of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and the Scottish team would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Locations and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground round out the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches held at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a competition for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the game – its emotion and capacity to foster unity.”

More than three million admissions, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be offered to attendees.