England May Play Away Matches at Euro 2028
Co-Hosts England May Play Two Matches Away from Wembley at Euro 2028
According to BBC Sport, the England national football team, known as the Three Lions, may play two of their matches away from Wembley Stadium during Euro 2028. As one of the co-hosting nations, England will need to qualify for the tournament, and it is expected that one of their three group matches will take place at one of five other English stadiums. These include Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Villa Park, Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium, and St James' Park in Newcastle.
Wembley will not host any last-16 matches, which means that if England progresses to the knockout stage, they will also have to play at a venue other than their national stadium.
England is co-hosting Euro 2028 alongside Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland. The Times has reported that Cardiff's Principality Stadium is set to host the opening match of the tournament.
The complete match schedule will be revealed on November 12 at the official launch event for Euro 2028 in London. Both the Football Association (FA) and UEFA, Europe's governing body for football, have refrained from commenting on this development.
Historically, England played all their matches at Wembley during Euro 1996, where they reached the semi-finals. They also hosted games at Euro 2020, which was held across several countries, playing all their matches at Wembley except for the quarter-final victory over Ukraine in Rome.
UEFA has confirmed that England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland will need to qualify for Euro 2028, but two spots will be reserved for the host nations should any of them fail to qualify.
Additionally, Dublin's Aviva Stadium and Hampden Park in Glasgow will host matches during the tournament. Northern Ireland, which was initially set to participate, has withdrawn after Belfast's Casement Park was removed from consideration due to funding issues.
A senior source indicated to BBC Sport that the recent development and expansion of stadiums in England played a significant role in the decision to host some matches away from Wembley. In recent years, both the men's and women's national teams have played select matches across the country.
For instance, in September, the men's team faced Andorra at Villa Park in Birmingham due to Coldplay concerts scheduled at Wembley. Similarly, a friendly match against Senegal in June was hosted at Nottingham Forest's City Ground to avoid conflicts with concert events.
Since 2018, England has also played home matches at various venues, including the City Ground, St James' Park, Manchester United's Old Trafford, and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Molineux. Other stadiums such as Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium, Southampton's St Mary's, Leicester City's King Power Stadium, and Leeds United's Elland Road have also hosted games.
Recently, England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed concerns about the atmosphere at Wembley following a friendly against Wales last month.