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The England national team will initiate their 2028 European Championship campaign at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they attain the expected entry for a tournament taking place in the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an English men’s match since eight years ago, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the England side for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

England are set to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, should they win the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Championship Opening and Rally

The tournament was launched at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were confronted as they approached the location by approximately 50 activists, who urged Israel to be expelled from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Championship Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will involve the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to families and help connect with a wider spectrum of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualification process; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the tournament through the standard process.

Locations and Knockout Stage

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

The qualification draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a championship for the followers and a festival of everything we value about the football – its fervor and ability to bring people together.”

More than three million tickets, a record for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be made available to attendees.