The English Team to Begin the European Championship 2028 Quest at City’s Home Ground
England’s men’s team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the anticipated passage for a tournament taking place in the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
City’s stadium has not hosted an English men’s match since May 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to welcome the England side for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.
The English side are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Tournament Opening and Protest
The championship was unveiled at an event in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they entered the venue by approximately 50 activists, who demanded the Israeli team to be kicked out from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.
Placards were raised with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters chanted: “Kick Israel out.”
Event Timeline
The inaugural fixture of Euro 2028 will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a match that will feature Wales if they secure a place.
Wembley will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.
It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will cater to households and help reach a more diverse set of fans.
Participating Countries
The Irish team are scheduled to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.
The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that miss out on the tournament through the standard process.
Venues and Playoffs
The Birmingham venue and The North London arena finalize the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight staged at every host’s main arena.
The qualifying draw will be held in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.
Tournament Vision
“This will be a tournament for the supporters and a celebration of everything we value about the game – its fervor and power to bring people together.”
In excess of three million passes, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be offered to supporters.
