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The England national team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they attain the relatively straightforward passage for a championship staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an Three Lions match since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to welcome the Three Lions for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, should they win the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Championship Opening and Demonstration

The event was unveiled at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the location by about 50 protesters, who called for the Israeli team to be expelled from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Banners were displayed with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Timeline

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will include the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to family audiences and help engage a wider spectrum of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would follow suit at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on the finals through the qualification path.

Locations and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches staged at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was excluded as a host city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“This will be a tournament for the fans and a festival of everything we cherish about the game – its fervor and capacity to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million admissions, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be made available to fans.