England to Start the European Championship 2028 Journey at City’s Home Ground

The England national team will commence their 2028 European Championship campaign at the the home of Manchester City, assuming they achieve the expected passage for a competition staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

City’s stadium has not welcomed an England men’s game since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to host the Three Lions for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are set to play their last two group stage games at Wembley, but, if they top Group B, their knockout stage opener would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Finishing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Launch and Protest

The event was launched at an ceremony in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Senior figures from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were heckled as they arrived the site by around fifty pro-Palestine demonstrators, who urged Israel to be kicked out from global football because of the conflict in Gaza.

Signs were displayed with slogans saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Fixture List

The opening game of the tournament will be held at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a match that will include the Welsh team if they qualify.

Wembley Stadium will host both semi-finals and the title decider, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5:00 PM.

It is expected that an earlier start, which will also be used for European club finals from the following campaign, will attract households and help reach a wider spectrum of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Irish team are set to play their first game at the Dublin stadium and the Scottish team would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

All four host countries’ teams will enter the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be set aside for any that miss out on the finals through that route.

Venues and Elimination Phase

Aston Villa’s stadium and Spurs’ ground complete the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches held at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in the Northern Irish capital, which was excluded as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Leadership Comment

“It will be a championship for the fans and a festival of everything we cherish about the sport – its passion and ability to foster unity.”

Over 3 million tickets, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are projected to be released to fans.