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The England national team will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the expected qualification for a tournament hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an English men’s game since eight years ago, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would be held at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Rally

The tournament was inaugurated at an event in central London on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the host football associations were confronted as they approached the location by about 50 protesters, who demanded Israel to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were displayed with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Fixture List

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from next season, will appeal to families and help reach a wider spectrum of audiences.

Host Nations

The Irish team are due to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Scottish team would do the same at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two reserved places will be reserved for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground complete the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“It will be a tournament for the followers and a showcase of everything we love about the sport – its emotion and capacity to unite individuals.”

More than three million passes, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be released to attendees.