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The English squad will commence their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they attain the expected entry for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an Three Lions match since eight years ago, when Turkey were beaten 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to stage the England side for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

England are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Tournament Kickoff and Rally

The tournament was inaugurated at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they approached the site by approximately 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were held up with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Fixture List

The first match of the European Championship will be held at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will involve the Welsh team if they secure a place.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the championship match, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an afternoon start, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to households and help reach a more diverse set of audiences.

Host Nations

The Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

Each host nation’s squad will enter the qualifying tournament; two reserved places will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through that route.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena round out the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the last eight staged at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be staged in Belfast, which was excluded as a host city last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on December 6, 2026.

Official Statement

“This will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we cherish about the football – its fervor and ability to bring people together.”

More than three million tickets, a record for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to fans.