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The English squad will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they attain the relatively straightforward passage for a competition hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an English men’s match since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to welcome the national team for their first match on June 10, 2028.

England are set to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, should they win Group B, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean beginning the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Opening and Rally

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they entered the location by around fifty activists, who called for Israel’s national side to be kicked out from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Banners were held up with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be staged at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Dragons if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a start time at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract households and help connect with a broader range of audiences.

Participating Countries

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

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the finals through that route.

Locations and Playoffs

The Birmingham venue and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches staged at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a championship for the supporters and a festival of everything we cherish about the sport – its emotion and capacity to unite individuals.”

In excess of three million admissions, a record for a Euro tournament, are projected to be released to fans.