The full schedule for Euro 2028 has now been confirmed, but three of the Premier League’s most iconic venues will not be in use for the tournament.
A total of nine stadiums will host games at Euro 2028, which is taking place in the UK and Ireland across June and July.
But Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates will not be opening their doors to fans in three years’ time, with the homes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal left off the final list.
The four home nations will play all of their group games in front of their own supporters – assuming they qualify – but for fans of England, they will not be given the opportunity to cheer on the team at three of the stadiums most synonymous with English football.
Why Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates are not hosting games
Get personalised updates on Manchester United every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
Old Trafford has not been included due to the uncertainty around Manchester United’s stadium plans.
United, who announced earlier this year they are intending to build a brand new 100,000 seater venue, could not guarantee that Old Trafford would be available for use in 2028 back when the stadium shortlist was being finalised in 2023.
This is because United, at the time, had been considering redeveloping Old Trafford instead of building a new stadium away from the existing site.
Anfield, meanwhile, is playing no part in Euro 2028 because the pitch is too small.
UEFA’s guidelines state that ‘the field of play must have the standard dimensions of 105m by 68m’, with Anfield’s hallowed pitch falling just shy at 101 metres.
This ineligibility also extends to the Champions League and Europa League, with Anfield also unable to host the finals of UEFA’s two biggest club competitions.
The Emirates is also due for a quiet summer in three years’ time, with Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium chosen as London’s venues instead of Arsenal’s home.
The Gunners are also said to be exploring the possibility of redeveloping their home of 19-years, with plans reportedly being considered which would lift the existing 60,700 capacity to a figure over 70,000.
As such, not hosting games in 2028 gives Arsenal more flexibility over the timeframe of any redevelopment work, should they indeed choose to go ahead and make changes to the Emirates.
Confirmed stadiums and host cities
Wembley (London) – eight games
Wembley will host the final on July 9, having had the same honour for the showpiece games at Euro 96 and Euro 2020.
Should England qualify, the Three Lions will play their final two group games at the stadium, whilst the home of English football will also host the two semi-finals.
Etihad Stadium (Manchester) – five games
Manchester City’s home is currently undergoing development with a third tier being added to the North Stand, which will take the stadium capacity to over 60,000 once it is completed later this season.
England are scheduled to play their first game of Euro 2028 at the Etihad.
Hill Dickinson Stadium (Liverpool) – five games
Everton’s 52,769-capacity new home opened its doors this year, becoming the eighth largest football stadium in England.
The ground will be known as ‘Everton Stadium’ for the tournament due to a ban on sponsor’s names, and it’s five games includes hosting one of the Round of 16 clashes.
St James’ Park (Newcastle) – five games
Newcastle’s iconic stadium was one of the venues used during the Euro 96 tournament – the last time the UK exclusively held a major international competition.
Should England top their group, they will play their Round of 16 game in the North East.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London) – five games
Spurs’ new home since 2019, the stadium is the biggest club venue in London and features a retractable pitch with a synthetic surface situated underneath which is used for NFL games.
The stadium is scheduled to host one Round of 16 game, alongside four group matches.
Villa Park (Birmingham) – four games
Aston Villa’s 52,190 seater stadium played host to four fixtures at Euro 96, including two of Scotland’s group games and one quarter-final.
The venue also hosted matches at the 1966 World Cup, with the likes of Spain, Argentina and West Germany turning out in Birmingham.
Principality Stadium (Cardiff) – six games
The Principality will be the second-largest venue in use at Euro 2028 with a capacity of 74,500, and will host the opening game on June 9.
Wales will have extra-motivation to qualify for the tournament, given they would be involved in the opening game of Euro 2028 in front of their own fans.
Hampden Park (Glasgow) – six games
Scotland’s national stadium hosted four games at Euro 2020.
In the event Scotland qualify, the team will play all three of their group games in front of the Tartan Army in Glasgow.
Aviva Stadium (Dublin) – seven games
The Dublin venue, which holds over 51,000 people, regularly hosts Republic of Ireland football matches and those of the Ireland rugby union team, along with high-profile Gaelic sports.
The stadium had been due to host games at Euro 2020 but was withdrawn from the final list by UEFA over issues with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Full schedule
Group Stage
Friday, June 9: A1 vs A2 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Saturday, June 10: B3 vs B4 – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday, June 10: A3 vs A4 – Hampden Park, Glasgow
Saturday, June 10: B1 vs B2 – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Sunday, June 11: D3 vs D4 – Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Sunday, June 11: C3 vs C4 – Villa Park, Birmingham
Sunday, June 11: C1 vs C2 – Wembley Stadium, London
Monday, June 12: E1 vs E2 – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Monday, June 12: E3 vs E4 – St James’ Park, Newcastle
Monday, June 12: D1 vs D2 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Tuesday, June 13: F1 vs F2 – Hampden Park, Scotland
Tuesday, June 13: F3 vs F4 – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Wednesday, June 14: A1 vs A3 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Wednesday, June 14: A2 vs A4 – Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Wednesday, June 14: B1 vs B3 – Wembley Stadium, London
Thursday, June 15: C2 vs C4 – St James’ Park, Newcastle
Thursday, June 15: B2 vs B4 – Villa Park, Birmingham
Thursday, June 15: C1 vs C3 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Friday, June 16: E1 vs E3 – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Friday, June 16: D2 vs D4 – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Friday, June 16: D1 vs D3 – Wembley Stadium, London
Saturday, June 17: F1 vs F3 – Hampden Park, Scotland
Saturday, June 17: F2 vs F4 – St James’ Park, Newcastle
Saturday, June 17: E2 vs E4 – Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Sunday, June 18: A4 vs A1 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Sunday, June 18: A2 vs A3 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Monday, June 19: B2 vs B3 – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Monday, June 19: B4 vs B1 – Wembley Stadium, London
Tuesday, June 20: D2 vs D3 – St James’ Park, Newcastle
Tuesday, June 20: C4 vs C1 – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Tuesday, June 20: C2 vs C3 – Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Tuesday, June 20: D4 vs D1 – Villa Park, Birmingham
Wednesday, June 21: F2 vs F3 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Wednesday, June 21: E4 vs E1 – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Wednesday, June 21: F4 vs F1 – Hampden Park, Scotland
Wednesday, June 21: E2 vs E3 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Round of 16
Saturday, June 24: 1A vs 2C (match 37) – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Saturday June 24: 2A vs 2B (match 38)- Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Sunday, June 25: 1B vs 3A/D/E/F (match 39) – St James’ Park, Newcastle
Sunday, June 25: 1C vs 3D/E/F (match 40) – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Monday, June 26: 1F vs 3A/B/C (match 41) – Hampden Park, Glasgow
Monday, June 26: 2D vs 2E (match 42) – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Tuesday, June 27: 1E vs 3A/B/C/D (match 43) – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Tuesday, June 27: 1D vs 2F (match 44) – Villa Park, Birmingham
Quarter-finals
Friday, June 30: W39 vs W37 (match 45) – Wembley Stadium, London
Friday, June 30: W41 vs W42 (match 46) – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday, July 1: W44 vs W43 (match 47) – Hampden Park, Glasgow
Saturday, July 1: W40 vs W38 (match 48) – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Semi-finals
Tuesday, July 4: W45 vs W46 – Wembley Stadium, London
Wednesday, July 5: W47 vs W48 – Wembley Stadium, London
Final
Sunday, July 9 – Wembley Stadium, London
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Share your views in the comments below