England to Begin Euro 2028 Journey at the Etihad Stadium
The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the expected entry for a championship taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
The Etihad Stadium has not staged an England men’s match since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to host the Three Lions for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.
The team are set to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning Group B, their last-16 tie would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s ground.
Championship Launch and Demonstration
The tournament was launched at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday night. Senior figures from Uefa and the host football associations were heckled as they arrived the location by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.
Signs were raised with phrases stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators shouted: “Kick Israel out.”
Tournament Fixture List
The opening game of the European Championship will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will involve the Welsh team if they secure a place.
Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at 5pm.
It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract families and help connect with a more diverse set of viewers.
Qualifying Teams
The Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.
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 Euro 2028 through the standard process.
Venues and Playoffs
The Birmingham venue and The North London arena round out the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches played at each country’s national stadium.
The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.
Leadership Comment
“This will be a tournament for the supporters and a celebration of everything we cherish about the game – its fervor and power to foster unity.”
Over 3 million passes, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to supporters.