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The English squad will embark on their Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, provided that they achieve the expected entry for a competition taking place in the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an England men’s match since May 2016, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to stage the England side for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their knockout stage opener would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Opening and Rally

The event was unveiled at an event in a London landmark on the previous evening. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were confronted as they arrived the location by around fifty activists, who called for Israel to be removed from global football because of the Gaza crisis.

Signs were raised with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of the European Championship will be staged at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will include Wales if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a commencement at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the following campaign, will appeal to families and help engage a wider spectrum of viewers.

Host Nations

The Irish team are set to play their initial fixture at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach the finals through that route.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the nine host stadiums. Every stadium 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 held in Belfast, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it became clear the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a competition for the fans and a celebration of everything we cherish about the game – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

More than three million tickets, a record for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to attendees.