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England’s men’s team will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they attain the expected entry for a competition taking place in most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not staged an Three Lions match since May 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to host the Three Lions for their first match on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win their group, their last-16 tie would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Launch and Demonstration

The event was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were confronted as they arrived the site by approximately 50 protesters, who demanded Israel’s national side to be kicked out from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Championship Timeline

The opening game of the European Championship will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will involve Wales if they make it.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to family audiences and help connect with a wider spectrum of viewers.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualification process; two reserved places will be set aside for any that miss out on the finals through the standard process.

Locations and Playoffs

Villa Park and Spurs’ ground round out the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight played at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was excluded as a venue city last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a tournament for the fans and a showcase of everything we value about the game – its passion and ability to bring people together.”

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