Nine stadiums across England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland will host matches, with Cardiff opening the tournament and Wembley staging the final.
The 2028 UEFA European Championship will be jointly hosted by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, marking a historic moment as the nations come together to stage one of football’s biggest events.
UEFA confirmed that Cardiff’s Principality Stadium will host the opening match of the tournament, while London’s Wembley Stadium will stage both semi-finals and the final. In total, 24 teams will compete across nine venues located in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
Northern Ireland was originally part of the bid, but Belfast’s Casement Park was dropped after construction delays and funding issues made it unsuitable as a host venue.
Host Nations and Stadiums
Across the four participating host nations, some of Europe’s most famous football grounds will take part. In England, Wembley will lead the way, supported by the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Villa Park in Birmingham, Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park in Newcastle.
Wales will see its national stadium, the Principality in Cardiff, take centre stage for the opening game and one of the quarter-finals. Scotland’s Hampden Park in Glasgow and Ireland’s Aviva Stadium in Dublin will also play key roles, hosting both group matches and knockout rounds.
England
- Wembley Stadium (London) – Semi-finals and Final
- Etihad Stadium (Manchester) – Group stage matches
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
- Villa Park (Birmingham)
- Hill Dickinson Stadium (Liverpool) – Everton’s new ground
- St James’ Park (Newcastle)
Wales
- Principality Stadium (Cardiff) – Opening match and quarter-final
Scotland
- Hampden Park (Glasgow) – Group stage and quarter-final
Republic of Ireland
- Aviva Stadium (Dublin) – Group stage and quarter-final
In total, 51 matches will be played throughout the tournament, which will feature an average stadium capacity of around 60,000. UEFA says this will make Euro 2028 one of the most attended European Championships ever.
Tournament Structure and Qualification
Unlike previous editions, host nations must still qualify for Euro 2028 through the normal qualification process. However, if they qualify directly, they will be guaranteed to play their group stage matches on home soil.
Each host nation will be placed in a separate qualifying group, and UEFA will reserve two backup qualification spots for the highest-ranked hosts that fail to qualify automatically.
Economic and Cultural Impact
The UK government has invested £557 million into preparations for the competition and expects a return of around £3.2 billion through job creation, tourism, and business opportunities. Organizers say the event will be a celebration of football’s passion and unity, with communities across the host cities already preparing for a festival atmosphere.
With fans set to fill stadiums from Glasgow to Dublin, Cardiff to London, Euro 2028 promises to be more than a football tournament. It will be a shared moment of pride for the host nations and a new chapter in the story of European football on British and Irish soil.
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