The Three Lions to Start Euro 2028 Quest at the Etihad Stadium

England’s men’s team will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they achieve the anticipated entry for a tournament taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not staged an English men’s match since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to stage the Three Lions for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

England are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win their group, their knockout stage opener would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Competition Launch and Rally

The tournament was launched at an ceremony in central London on the previous evening. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were heckled as they entered the venue by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel to be expelled from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Banners were held up with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a game that will include the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract family audiences and help connect with a more diverse set of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground complete the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight held at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a championship for the fans and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its fervor and power to bring people together.”

Over 3 million passes, a all-time high for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be offered to fans.