England to Start UEFA Euro 2028 Journey at City’s Home Ground

England’s men’s team will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they secure the relatively straightforward passage for a championship taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an England men’s game since eight years ago, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to stage the Three Lions for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are planned to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, if they top the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an gathering in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were confronted as they arrived the location by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel’s national side to be kicked out from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Tournament Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be staged at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a start time at late afternoon.

It is anticipated that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from next season, will attract households and help connect with a wider spectrum of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight staged at every host’s main arena.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a tournament for the fans and a showcase of everything we love about the game – its emotion and power to unite individuals.”

In excess of three million admissions, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be released to fans.