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The English squad will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, provided that they attain the expected passage for a competition taking place in the majority of the UK and the Irish Republic.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an Three Lions game since the spring of 2016, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a exhibition match, but is highly likely to host the Three Lions for their opening fixture on June 10, 2028.

The English side are planned to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their round of 16 match would take place at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Placing second would mean commencing the playoffs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Kickoff and Rally

The championship was launched at an gathering in a London landmark on Wednesday night. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host FAs were heckled as they arrived the site by about 50 protesters, who demanded Israel to be kicked out from the sport because of the conflict in Gaza.

Signs were held up with messages stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Timeline

The first match of the tournament will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a match that will involve the Dragons if they make it.

The national stadium will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be played on a Sunday in July 2028 with a commencement at 5pm.

It is hoped that an earlier kick-off, which will also be implemented for European club finals from next season, will cater to family audiences and help reach a broader range of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would do the same at the national stadium of Scotland.

Each host nation’s squad will participate in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that fail to qualify for the finals through that route.

Locations and Knockout Stage

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches held at each country’s national stadium.

The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was removed as a host city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a tournament for the supporters and a festival of everything we cherish about the game – its fervor and power to foster unity.”

In excess of three million passes, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are expected to be made available to supporters.