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England’s men’s team will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they secure the expected entry for a championship taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an Three Lions fixture since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their round of 16 match would be held at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Demonstration

The event was launched at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were heckled as they arrived the location by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded the Israeli team to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

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

Tournament Schedule

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

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at late afternoon.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will attract families and help reach a broader range of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would play similarly 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 tournament through that route.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

The Birmingham venue and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finalize the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the last eight staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a host city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“This will be a championship for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the game – its passion and ability to bring people together.”

Over 3 million tickets, a record for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be offered to attendees.