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The England national team will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they secure the expected qualification for a tournament staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not welcomed an Three Lions game since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to host the national team for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The English side are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would occur at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Kickoff and Protest

The tournament was inaugurated at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were heckled as they approached the venue by approximately 50 protesters, who demanded Israel to be expelled from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Signs were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will feature Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley will host the two semi-final matches and the final, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at 5:00 PM.

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for European club finals from next season, will attract family audiences and help reach a broader range of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will enter the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Locations and Playoffs

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the event’s nine venues. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals staged at the national stadium of each host.

The qualification draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

“It will be a championship for the supporters and a celebration of everything we value about the football – its passion and capacity to unite individuals.”

Over 3 million admissions, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are anticipated to be made available to supporters.