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The England national team will commence their Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they secure the relatively straightforward passage for a tournament staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

England are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, if they top Group B, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Protest

The event was inaugurated at an gathering in central London on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were heckled as they arrived the site by about 50 activists, who demanded the Israeli team to be removed from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Event Fixture List

The first match of the European Championship will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will involve Wales if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to households and help connect with a broader range of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Locations and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena round out the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals played at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be held in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a competition for the followers and a celebration of everything we value about the game – its passion and ability to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are projected to be offered to supporters.