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England’s men’s team will commence their 2028 European Championship campaign at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they achieve the expected entry for a tournament hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not staged an English men’s match since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to host the national team for their inaugural game on Saturday 10 June 2028.

England are set to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Competition Launch and Protest

The championship was unveiled at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they arrived the site by about 50 protesters, who called for the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were held up with messages stating “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 June 9, 2028, a fixture that will feature the Welsh team if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for European club finals from the upcoming season, will attract families and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Participating Countries

The Irish team are set to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will take part in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Venues and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground finalize the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it became clear Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Official Statement

“This will be a competition for the fans and a festival of everything we value about the sport – its emotion and power to bring people together.”

Over 3 million admissions, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be made available to attendees.