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England’s men’s team will initiate their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward entry for a competition hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an Three Lions match since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to stage the national team for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean beginning the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they approached the venue by approximately 50 activists, who urged the Israeli team to be expelled from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were raised with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Fixture List

The opening game of the European Championship will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will feature Wales if they make it.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will appeal to family audiences and help connect with a wider spectrum of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two automatic spots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground round out the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight staged at every host’s main arena.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a host city last year when it became clear Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we cherish about the football – its passion and capacity to bring people together.”

More than three million tickets, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be released to fans.