England to Start UEFA Euro 2028 Campaign at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium
The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship journey at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they achieve the expected passage for a championship taking place in the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an England men’s game since eight years ago, when Turkey were overcome 2-1 in a friendly, but is expected to host the England side for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.
The English side are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, if they top the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would be held at the Newcastle stadium. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Competition Launch and Rally
The tournament was unveiled at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the organizing bodies were confronted as they entered the site by around fifty protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.
Placards were displayed with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”
Event Fixture List
The inaugural fixture of Euro 2028 will be staged at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will feature the Welsh team if they secure a place.
Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.
It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for European club finals from the following campaign, will attract households and help connect with a more diverse set of fans.
Host Nations
The Republic of Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.
Each host nation’s squad will participate in the qualification process; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the finals through the qualification path.
Venues and Knockout Stage
Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finalize the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals held at each country’s national stadium.
The qualifying draw will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on a date in late 2026.
Tournament Vision
“This will be a tournament for the followers and a celebration of everything we value about the football – its fervor and capacity to bring people together.”
More than three million tickets, a record for a UEFA European Championship, are projected to be released to attendees.
