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The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship adventure at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward entry for a tournament hosted across the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not hosted an Three Lions fixture since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is highly likely to stage the national team for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Kickoff and Demonstration

The event was launched at an gathering in central London on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the venue by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel to be expelled from global football because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were raised with messages saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be played at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will feature Wales if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a start time at 5pm.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for European club finals from the following campaign, will cater to families and help engage a more diverse set of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would do the same at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the qualification path.

Locations and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena finalize the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches held at every host’s main arena.

The qualification draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Tournament Vision

“It will be a tournament for the followers and a festival of everything we cherish about the football – its emotion and power to foster unity.”

In excess of three million passes, a unprecedented number for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be released to supporters.