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England’s men’s team will commence their 2028 European Championship adventure at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the expected qualification for a championship hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an Three Lions game since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the Three Lions for their first match on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top their group, their round of 16 match would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean starting the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Kickoff and Protest

The championship was launched at an gathering in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were confronted as they approached the location by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for the Israeli team to be removed from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will include Wales if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for European club finals from next season, will appeal to households and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Participating Countries

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

Each host nation’s squad will enter the preliminary stage; two automatic spots will be set aside for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through that route.

Locations and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground finalize the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches held at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a tournament for the supporters and a showcase of everything we value about the game – its passion and power to bring people together.”

Over 3 million passes, a record for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to attendees.