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The England national team will initiate their Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they secure the relatively straightforward entry for a championship taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The English side are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their knockout stage opener would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Protest

The tournament was unveiled at an ceremony in central London on the previous evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the organizing bodies were barracked as they arrived the location by approximately 50 activists, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Banners were displayed with messages saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Schedule

The first match of Euro 2028 will be held at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a match that will involve the Welsh team if they make it.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will attract households and help reach a wider spectrum of audiences.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the qualification path.

Venues and Playoffs

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finalize the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals held at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“It will be a competition for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its emotion and capacity to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be released to fans.