England to Launch the European Championship 2028 Campaign at the Etihad Stadium

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

The Etihad Stadium has not welcomed an Three Lions match since May 2016, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to host the England side for their inaugural game on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their final two group matches at the national stadium, but, if they top the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tournament Launch and Demonstration

The event was launched at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Key representatives from Uefa and the organizing bodies were confronted as they arrived the venue by approximately 50 protesters, who demanded Israel to be expelled from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were displayed with phrases saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Fixture List

The opening game of the European Championship will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will feature Wales if they secure a place.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be played on July 9, 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for European club finals from the following campaign, will attract families and help connect with a broader range of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their first game at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the last eight staged at the national stadium of each host.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in Belfast, which was removed as a tournament location last year when it emerged the Belfast stadium could not be upgraded in time, on 6 December 2026.

Official Statement

“This will be a championship for the supporters and a festival of everything we value about the game – its passion and power to bring people together.”

In excess of three million admissions, a record for a men’s European Championship, are projected to be made available to fans.