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The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, on the condition that they secure the relatively straightforward qualification for a championship staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to stage the national team for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

England are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at the national stadium, but, if they top their group, their round of 16 match would be held at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Kickoff and Demonstration

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they arrived the location by about 50 activists, who demanded the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Event Schedule

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a match that will feature the Dragons if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the upcoming season, will cater to families and help reach a broader range of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Venues and Knockout Stage

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals played at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a competition for the fans and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its emotion and capacity to foster unity.”

More than three million passes, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to supporters.