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England’s men will kick off their Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they achieve the relative formality of qualification for a tournament staged across most of the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland.
Manchester City’s home has not hosted an England men’s game since May 2016, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but looks certain to welcome the national team for their first match on Saturday 10 June 2028. England are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley but, should they win Group B, their last-16 tie would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the knockouts at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The tournament was launched at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Senior figures from Uefa and the host FAs were barracked as they arrived at the venue by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who called for Israel to be kicked out of international football because of the Gaza crisis. Banners were held up with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters chanted: “Kick Israel out.”
The opening game of Euro 2028 will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will involve Wales if they qualify. Wembley will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a kick-off time at 5pm. It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for Champions League finals from next season, will appeal to families and help reach a broader range of audiences.
The Republic of Ireland are due to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park. All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that do not reach Euro 2028 through that route.
Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals held at each country’s national stadium. The qualifying draw will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.
The Football Association’s chair, Debbie Hewitt, who is the chair of the tournament’s delivery company, said: “It will be a tournament for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the game – its passion and ability to bring people together.”
More than three million tickets, a record for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be made available to supporters.
