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The English squad will embark on their Euro 2028 campaign at the Etihad Stadium, provided that they attain the anticipated qualification for a competition hosted across most of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an English men’s match since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were overcome 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is expected to host the Three Lions for their first match on a Saturday in June 2028.

The English side are scheduled to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley, but, in the event of winning Group B, their round of 16 match would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean beginning the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Championship Opening and Rally

The championship was launched at an gathering in central London on Wednesday evening. Senior figures from European football’s governing body and the organizing bodies were confronted as they arrived the site by about 50 activists, who urged the Israeli team to be removed from international football because of the situation in Gaza.

Banners were raised with slogans reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Schedule

The first match of the tournament will be held at the the national stadium of Wales in Cardiff, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will include the Welsh team if they qualify.

The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be held on a Sunday in July 2028 with a kick-off time at 5pm.

It is expected that an earlier kick-off, which will also be used for Champions League finals from the upcoming season, will appeal to families and help connect with a more diverse set of viewers.

Qualifying Teams

The Ireland are scheduled to play their opening match at the Dublin Arena and the Tartan Army would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will participate in the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that miss out on Euro 2028 through the qualification path.

Stadiums and Elimination Phase

Villa Park and The North London arena finalize the nine host stadiums. All will hold at least one knockout match, with the quarterfinal matches held at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be held in Belfast, which was excluded as a host city last year when it was revealed Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on 6 December 2026.

Leadership Comment

“The event will be a tournament for the supporters and a festival of everything we love about the game – its fervor and power to bring people together.”

Over 3 million tickets, a record for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be made available to fans.