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England’s men’s team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they achieve the anticipated qualification for a tournament hosted across the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an English men’s match since eight years ago, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to welcome the national team for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at the national stadium, but, should they win the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would occur at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Competition Opening and Protest

The event was unveiled at an event in central London on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the host FAs were confronted as they entered the site by approximately 50 protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from international football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Banners were held up with slogans saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Fixture List

The opening game of the tournament will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a match that will feature the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for European club finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to households and help connect with a wider spectrum of audiences.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Playoffs

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out 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 draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition for the followers and a showcase of everything we value about the sport – its emotion and ability to foster unity.”

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