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The English squad will commence their Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they secure the anticipated passage for a championship hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an Three Lions fixture since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to host the national team for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The English side are set to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their round of 16 match would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Launch and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel to be kicked out from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Event Schedule

The first match of the European Championship will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a game that will feature the Welsh team if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from the upcoming season, will attract families and help connect with a more diverse set of fans.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would do the same at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the standard process.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and The North London arena round out the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals played at the national stadium of each host.

The qualification draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed 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 followers and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its passion and power to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be released to fans.