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The England national team will initiate their UEFA Euro 2028 adventure at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they achieve the anticipated entry for a competition hosted across the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an England men’s game since May 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to host the England side for their opening fixture on a Saturday in June 2028.

England are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the knockouts at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Rally

The event was unveiled at an event in a London landmark on the previous evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were confronted as they approached the location by about 50 activists, who demanded Israel to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

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

Event Fixture List

The first match of the tournament will be staged at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a game that will feature Wales if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be held on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to households and help engage a broader range of viewers.

Host Nations

The Irish team are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.

Locations and Playoffs

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground finalize the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualification draw will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we cherish about the game – its passion and capacity to foster unity.”

Over 3 million passes, a unprecedented number for a UEFA European Championship, are expected to be offered to fans.