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The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they attain the anticipated qualification for a competition hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an England men’s match since May 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to stage the Three Lions for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning their group, their round of 16 match would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Rally

The event was launched at an gathering in a London landmark on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were heckled as they arrived the site by approximately 50 activists, who demanded Israel’s national side to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract households and help engage a wider spectrum of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

Each host nation’s squad will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Locations and Playoffs

Villa Park and The North London arena finalize the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight staged at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“It will be a competition for the supporters and a celebration of everything we value about the sport – its emotion and power to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be released to fans.