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The English squad will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they achieve the anticipated entry for a competition taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to stage the England side for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their last-16 tie would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Kickoff and Demonstration

The championship was launched at an ceremony in central London on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the venue by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel to be removed from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were raised with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will include the Welsh team if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the following campaign, will attract family audiences and help reach a more diverse set of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be reserved for any that miss out on the finals through the qualification path.

Locations and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground round out the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches staged at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a tournament for the followers and a festival of everything we love about the football – its fervor and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million tickets, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be offered to attendees.