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The England national team will commence their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they secure the expected qualification for a championship staged throughout the majority of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when Turkey were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to welcome the Three Lions for their first match on June 10, 2028.

The English side are set to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their last-16 tie would be held at St James’ Park. Finishing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Competition Kickoff and Rally

The event was launched at an event in a London landmark on Wednesday evening. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were heckled as they arrived the site by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged the Israeli team to be removed from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

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

Event Schedule

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will feature the Dragons if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the title decider, which will be played on Sunday 9 July with a start time at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an earlier start, which will also be adopted for Champions League finals from the following campaign, will appeal to households and help reach a wider spectrum of fans.

Host Nations

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play their first game at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland would follow suit at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the qualifying tournament; two automatic spots will be set aside for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through that route.

Locations and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight held at every host’s main arena.

The qualifying draw will be staged in Belfast, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a tournament for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the football – its emotion and power to unite individuals.”

More than three million tickets, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be offered to fans.