🔗 Share this article

The England national team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they attain the expected qualification for a tournament hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an English men’s match since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to stage the England side for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their last-16 tie would be held at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Rally

The tournament was unveiled at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were confronted as they arrived the venue by about 50 activists, who demanded Israel to be expelled from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were raised with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Timeline

The first match of the tournament will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will feature the Welsh team if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to family audiences and help engage a more diverse set of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would play similarly at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualification process; two automatic spots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals held at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a host city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we cherish about the sport – its fervor and ability to bring people together.”

Over 3 million tickets, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be released to attendees.