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The England national team will initiate their UEFA Euro 2028 campaign at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they achieve the relatively straightforward entry for a championship staged throughout the bulk of Britain and the Irish Republic.

The Etihad Stadium has not staged an English men’s fixture since eight years ago, when the Turkish team were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to host the England side for their opening fixture on Saturday 10 June 2028.

The team are planned to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, should they win Group B, their last-16 tie would be held at St James’ Park. Placing second would mean starting the elimination stage at Everton’s ground.

Competition Opening and Rally

The event was inaugurated at an event in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night. Key representatives from European football’s governing body and the host football associations were confronted as they arrived the location by about 50 activists, who demanded Israel’s national side to be expelled from the sport because of the Gaza crisis.

Placards were held up with phrases reading “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while activists shouted: “Kick Israel out.”

Tournament Timeline

The opening game of Euro 2028 will be held at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, on Friday 9 June, a fixture that will involve the Dragons if they make it.

Wembley Stadium will host the two semi-final matches and the championship match, which will be staged on Sunday 9 July with a commencement at 5pm.

It is anticipated that an earlier kick-off, which will also be adopted for UEFA Champions League finals from next season, will cater to family audiences and help reach a more diverse set of fans.

Participating Countries

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and the Scottish team would do the same at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the qualification process; two guaranteed slots will be reserved for any that do not reach the tournament through that route.

Venues and Playoffs

Villa Park and The North London arena round out the event’s nine venues. Every stadium will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals staged at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be held in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it emerged the proposed venue could not be redeveloped in time, on a date in late 2026.

Tournament Vision

“The event will be a competition 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 record for a men’s European Championship, are anticipated to be offered to attendees.