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The English squad will initiate their 2028 European Championship journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they secure the relatively straightforward passage for a competition staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an England men’s match since eight years ago, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to host the England side for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, if they top Group B, their knockout stage opener would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Competition Opening and Rally

The tournament was launched at an event in central London on Wednesday night. Senior figures from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the location by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded Israel’s national side to be expelled from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Championship Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a game that will feature the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will cater to households and help engage a wider spectrum of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on the finals through the standard process.

Stadiums and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the nine tournament locations. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight held at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be held in Belfast, which was removed as a host city last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we love about the sport – its fervor and capacity to bring people together.”

Over 3 million tickets, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be made available to attendees.