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England’s men’s team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they achieve the expected qualification for a championship staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an English men’s match since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to stage the England side for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

The team are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their round of 16 match would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the playoffs at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Kickoff and Rally

The tournament was launched at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were confronted as they entered the site by around fifty protesters, who called for the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will involve Wales if they qualify.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract family audiences and help reach a wider spectrum of fans.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualification process; two reserved places 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 finalize the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches staged at the national stadium of each host.

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

Official Statement

“This will be a tournament for the followers and a celebration of everything we value about the game – its emotion and power to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be offered to fans.