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England’s men’s team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they secure the anticipated entry for a championship taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an Three Lions match since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to welcome the England side for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would be held at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean beginning the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Demonstration

The event was unveiled at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the site by approximately 50 protesters, who demanded the Israeli team to be removed from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were displayed with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Fixture List

The first match of the European Championship will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a game that will involve the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from next season, will attract families and help reach a more diverse set of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the tournament through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches held at the national stadium of each host.

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

Tournament Vision

“It will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the football – its emotion and power to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million passes, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to supporters.