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

The England national team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they attain the relatively straightforward qualification for a competition hosted across the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an England men’s match since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to stage the national team for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

The English side are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Launch and Demonstration

The championship was inaugurated at an gathering in central London on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were heckled as they arrived the site by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be expelled from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were raised with messages saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature Wales if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract households and help connect with a broader range of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualification process; two reserved places will be set aside for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Venues and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight staged at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a host city last year when it became clear the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the supporters and a showcase of everything we cherish about the sport – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million admissions, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be offered to supporters.