ENGLAND will play their first match of Euro 2028 at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium if they qualify directly, organisers announced at the tournament launch in London on Wednesday. The other co-hosts — the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales — will play all their group-stage matches at home.
Cardiff will host the opening match of the tournament on June 9. The final will take place at Wembley Stadium on July 9. Wembley will also stage both semi-finals and one quarter-final, with the other last-eight fixtures set for Dublin, Glasgow and Cardiff.
During the launch, which included the release of the match schedule, speakers were briefly interrupted by a small pro-Palestine protest outside the venue.
If England qualify directly, they will start at the Etihad before playing their remaining two group games at Wembley. If they win Group B, England will play the round of 16 at St James’ Park in Newcastle and then return to Wembley for the remainder of the tournament. If they finish second in the group, they will play their last-16 match at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium before going to the Principality Stadium.
England and Wales could meet in a Wembley quarter-final if both win their groups.
Nine stadiums in eight cities will stage 51 matches involving 24 nations. In addition to Wembley and the Etihad, Villa Park and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are among the Premier League venues selected. Host nations that qualify directly will have their group-stage matches at home.
UEFA has confirmed three kick-off times: 1400 GMT, 1700 GMT and 2000 GMT. The Euro 2028 final will begin at 5pm local time (1600 GMT), three hours earlier than the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
The four host nations will enter qualification. Two places are reserved for hosts that do not win their qualifying group or finish among the eight best runners-up. Belfast will host the Euro 2028 qualifying draw on December 6, 2026.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: “The host nations, where the game first took shape, are eager to welcome millions of fans into legendary stadiums, providing the right stage for a festival of emotions, vividly encapsulated in the design we presented today.” He added: “At UEFA EURO 2028, we will all speak football – loud, clear and united.”
Debbie Hewit, chair of England’s Football Association and UK and Ireland 2028 Ltd, said the organisers aimed to deliver the “best-ever” Euro.
The UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Government of Ireland have pledged up to 740 million pounds to support the event.
UEFA said an independent assessment estimated 3.6 billion pounds (4.7–4.83 billion dollars) in socio-economic benefit between 2028 and 2031, including job creation, regional prosperity and spending by international visitors.
England finished runners-up at Euro 2024, Scotland exited in the group stage, and Wales and Ireland did not qualify for the tournament hosted by Germany.
Goalkeeper Alan Knight playing for Portsmouth at Reading FC, circa 1990. Photo by Chris Cole/Getty Images
Alan Knight in Fratton Park vs Torquay X/
