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The England national team will embark on their 2028 European Championship campaign at the Etihad Stadium, on the condition that they secure the relatively straightforward passage for a competition staged throughout most of the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

The Etihad Stadium has not hosted an English men’s fixture since eight years ago, when the visitors were beaten 2-1 in a friendly, but is almost certain to welcome the England side for their inaugural game on June 10, 2028.

The English side are set to play their concluding group fixtures at Wembley Stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their last-16 tie would occur at the Newcastle stadium. Placing second would mean commencing the playoffs at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Competition Opening and Rally

The event was launched at an event in central London on Wednesday evening. High-ranking officials from the tournament organizers and the host FAs were barracked as they arrived the venue by approximately 50 activists, who urged the Israeli team to be kicked out from global football because of the situation in Gaza.

Placards were displayed with slogans saying “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while protesters called out: “Kick Israel out.”

Championship Schedule

The opening game of the tournament will be played at the Cardiff’s stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a match that will involve the Dragons if they secure a place.

Wembley will host both semi-finals and the championship match, which will be held on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at late afternoon.

It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be used for European club finals from the following campaign, will appeal to households and help engage a more diverse set of audiences.

Qualifying Teams

The Republic of Ireland are set to play their initial fixture at the Dublin Arena and Scotland would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland.

All four host countries’ teams will participate in the preliminary stage; two reserved places will be held in reserve for any that fail to qualify for the tournament through the qualification path.

Venues and Knockout Stage

The Birmingham venue and Spurs’ ground complete the event’s nine venues. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarterfinal matches held at the national stadium of each host.

The qualifying draw will be conducted in Belfast, which was dropped as a host city last year when it was revealed the proposed venue could not be upgraded in time, on December 6, 2026.

Tournament Vision

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

In excess of three million admissions, a record for a men’s European Championship, are expected to be released to attendees.