England to Start Euro 2028 Campaign at City’s Home Ground
The England national team will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they achieve the expected qualification for a tournament hosted across the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an England men’s fixture since May 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.
The English side are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean beginning the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Tournament Kickoff and Rally
The championship was launched at an gathering in central London on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the venue by about 50 activists, who urged Israel to be removed from global football because of the situation in Gaza.
Placards were held up with phrases saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”
Event Fixture List
The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will feature the Dragons if they qualify.
Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.
It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from next season, will appeal to households and help reach a wider spectrum of audiences.
Participating Countries
The Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.
Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualifying tournament; two reserved places will be reserved for any that miss out on the finals through the qualification path.
Venues and Knockout Stage
Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena round out the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals held at every host’s main arena.
The qualification draw will be held in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.
Leadership Comment
“This will be a tournament for the fans and a showcase of everything we love about the football – its passion and capacity to unite individuals.”
More than three million passes, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be released to attendees.
