The Three Lions to Launch Euro 2028 Quest at the Etihad Stadium
The England national team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they secure the expected entry for a competition taking place in the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.
The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an English men’s game since May 2016, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is expected to welcome the national team for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.
The team are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, should they win Group B, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the knockouts at Everton’s ground.
Tournament Opening and Rally
The tournament was launched at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were barracked as they arrived the site by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from global football because of the situation in Gaza.
Placards were displayed with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “Kick Israel out.”
Tournament Timeline
The first match of Euro 2028 will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on June 9, 2028, a match that will include Wales if they secure a place.
Wembley will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.
It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will appeal to family audiences and help reach a wider spectrum of fans.
Participating Countries
The Irish team are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would do the same at Hampden Park.
Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through that route.
Venues and Playoffs
Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. Every stadium will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarterfinal matches held at the national stadium of each host.
The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was excluded as a host city last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.
Tournament Vision
“It will be a competition for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the football – its emotion and power to unite individuals.”
Over 3 million tickets, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to supporters.
