The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Etihad Stadium, assuming they secure the anticipated entry for a tournament staged throughout the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
City’s stadium has not hosted an Three Lions game since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were defeated 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is almost certain to host the England side for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.
England are scheduled to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the playoffs at Everton’s ground.
The event was launched at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from Uefa and the host football associations were heckled as they entered the site by about 50 activists, who demanded the Israeli team to be removed from international football because of the situation in Gaza.
Placards were held up with slogans stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”
The first match of the tournament will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will include the Welsh team if they secure a place.
Wembley will host both semi-finals and the final, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at late afternoon.
It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from the following campaign, will appeal to family audiences and help reach a broader range of fans.
The Republic of Ireland are due to play their opening match at the Dublin stadium and Scotland would follow suit at Hampden Park.
All four host countries’ teams will enter the qualifying tournament; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the standard process.
Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena complete the nine host stadiums. Every stadium will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches held at every host’s main arena.
The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.
“The event will be a tournament for the followers and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its passion and power to foster unity.”
In excess of three million passes, a all-time high for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to supporters.
A passionate textile artist and community organizer who loves inspiring others through creative sewing projects.
