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England’s men’s team will initiate their Euro 2028 adventure at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they attain the relatively straightforward passage for a competition staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

City’s stadium has not staged an Three Lions fixture since eight years ago, when the visitors were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to host the Three Lions for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are planned to play their last two group stage games at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win Group B, their round of 16 match would take place at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean starting the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Launch and Protest

The tournament was unveiled at an gathering in Piccadilly Circus on the previous evening. Key representatives from the tournament organizers and the organizing bodies were barracked as they entered the venue by around fifty protesters, who called for Israel to be removed from international football because of the Gaza crisis.

Banners were displayed with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Timeline

The inaugural fixture of the European Championship will be staged at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on June 9, 2028, a fixture that will involve the Dragons if they make it.

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

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be implemented for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will attract families and help engage a more diverse set of fans.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would play similarly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Each host nation’s squad will take part in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the standard process.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium round out the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarter-finals held at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be held in Belfast, which was dropped as a venue city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Official Statement

“This will be a championship for the fans and a festival of everything we cherish about the sport – its emotion and power to unite individuals.”

In excess of three million tickets, a all-time high for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be released to fans.