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The English squad will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the relatively straightforward qualification for a championship staged throughout the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an English men’s game since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to stage the England side for their first match on June 10, 2028.

England are planned to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their knockout stage opener would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Opening and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were barracked as they arrived the venue by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be kicked out from international football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Banners were displayed with phrases saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a game that will include the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to households and help connect with a broader range of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.

Locations and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches held at every host’s main arena.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a competition for the supporters and a celebration of everything we love about the game – its emotion and power to foster unity.”

In excess of three million admissions, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are expected to be released to fans.