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The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship adventure at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they attain the expected passage for a tournament staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an England men’s fixture since eight years ago, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to host the England side for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their round of 16 match would occur at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Demonstration

The championship was launched at an gathering in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were heckled as they entered the venue by approximately 50 protesters, who called for the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Banners were displayed with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a game that will involve the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

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

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would follow suit at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the qualification process; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on the tournament through the standard process.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals played at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a host city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its passion and ability to bring people together.”

In excess of three million passes, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are anticipated to be made available to attendees.