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The England national team will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the relatively straightforward entry for a tournament taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an Three Lions game since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to stage the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their round of 16 match would occur at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Launch and Rally

The event was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were confronted as they entered the location by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel’s national side to be kicked out from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Event Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a match that will involve the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will appeal to families and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are set to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would play similarly at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that miss out on the tournament through the qualification path.

Venues and Playoffs

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground finalize the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals held at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be held in Belfast, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it became clear Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the fans and a festival of everything we value about the football – its fervor and power to foster unity.”

More than three million tickets, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be released to attendees.