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England’s men’s team will embark on their Euro 2028 adventure at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they secure the expected entry for a championship hosted across the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an England men’s game since eight years ago, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to welcome the national team for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, should they win their group, their last-16 tie would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Demonstration

The championship was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were confronted as they entered the venue by approximately 50 activists, who demanded Israel to be kicked out from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were displayed with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of the tournament will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will involve the Welsh team if they qualify.

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

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for European club finals from next season, will attract households and help connect with a more diverse set of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are due to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

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

The qualification draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a venue city last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

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

Over 3 million admissions, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are expected to be offered to supporters.