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England’s men’s team will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward entry for a competition taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an Three Lions fixture since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to stage the England side for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Kickoff and Demonstration

The tournament was launched at an gathering in central London on Wednesday night. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were heckled as they entered the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Banners were displayed with slogans saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Schedule

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will feature Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be staged on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to households and help engage a wider spectrum of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Locations and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finalize the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals staged at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it became clear Casement Park could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

“This will be a tournament for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the football – its emotion and ability to foster unity.”

In excess of three million admissions, a record for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be released to supporters.