The Three Lions to Start the European Championship 2028 Campaign at the Etihad Stadium

The England national team will initiate their Euro 2028 journey at the the home of Manchester City, on the condition that they secure the relatively straightforward qualification for a championship staged throughout the bulk of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Manchester City’s home ground has not hosted an Three Lions match since eight years ago, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a friendly, but is highly likely to stage the Three Lions for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The team are scheduled to play their final two group matches at Wembley, but, in the event of winning the preliminary round, their knockout stage opener would take place at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean beginning the playoffs at Everton’s ground.

Championship Launch and Demonstration

The event was inaugurated at an ceremony in central London on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the host football associations were heckled as they arrived the site by approximately 50 protesters, who urged Israel’s national side to be removed from the sport because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were raised with messages reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Event Timeline

The first match of the tournament will be played at the the national stadium of Wales in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a game that will feature the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the title decider, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a start time at 5:00 PM.

It is hoped that an earlier start, which will also be used for Champions League finals from next season, will attract families and help connect with a wider spectrum of fans.

Qualifying Teams

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

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the qualification process; two automatic spots will be held in reserve for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Venues and Playoffs

Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena complete the nine host stadiums. Each one will hold at least one playoff fixture, with the quarter-finals played at each country’s national stadium.

The qualifying draw will be held in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it was revealed the Belfast stadium could not be redeveloped in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a championship for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the sport – its emotion and ability to bring people together.”

In excess of three million tickets, a unprecedented number for a Euro tournament, are expected to be released to fans.