The Three Lions to Start Euro 2028 Campaign at City’s Home Ground
The English squad will embark on their Euro 2028 adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they attain the relatively straightforward passage for a tournament staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.
Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an Three Lions fixture since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to stage the England side for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.
The team are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, should they win the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Competition Kickoff and Demonstration
The championship was unveiled at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were confronted as they entered the location by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel to be removed from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.
Signs were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”
Tournament Fixture List
The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will feature the Welsh team if they secure a place.
Wembley will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.
It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from the following campaign, will appeal to families and help reach a broader range of viewers.
Participating Countries
The Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would play similarly at Hampden Park.
Each host nation’s squad will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.
Stadiums and Elimination Phase
Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight held at each country’s national stadium.
The qualifying draw will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a host city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.
Tournament Vision
“The event will be a competition for the followers and a festival of everything we value about the sport – its fervor and power to foster unity.”
In excess of three million passes, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be made available to supporters.