The Three Lions to Launch Euro 2028 Journey at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium

The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they attain the relatively straightforward passage for a tournament staged throughout the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to welcome the Three Lions for their first match on June 10, 2028.

England are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their last-16 tie would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Launch and Demonstration

The event was launched at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were confronted as they entered the location by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be kicked out from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Placards were held up with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Timeline

The opening game of the European Championship will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a match that will include Wales if they make it.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to households and help engage a more diverse set of fans.

Host Nations

The Irish team are set to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that do not reach the tournament through that route.

Venues and Playoffs

The Birmingham venue and The North London arena finalize the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals staged at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be conducted in Belfast, which was excluded as a venue city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a championship for the supporters and a celebration of everything we cherish about the sport – its passion and power to unite individuals.”

In excess of three million admissions, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are expected to be made available to attendees.