England to Launch UEFA Euro 2028 Campaign at City’s Home Ground

The England national team will initiate their 2028 European Championship adventure at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward passage for a competition taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an English men’s game since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to host the national team for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

The English side are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win their group, their knockout stage opener would be held at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the host FAs were confronted as they entered the venue by approximately 50 protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Event Fixture List

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a game that will feature the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a commencement at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for European club finals from the upcoming season, will attract households and help reach a broader range of viewers.

Host Nations

The Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and the Scottish team would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground complete the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a championship for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the game – its fervor and ability to bring people together.”

Over 3 million admissions, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be released to supporters.