Euro 2028: Cardiff hosts the opening match, Wembley hosts the semi-finals and final

Cardiff will host the opening match of Euro 2028, with the semi-finals and final matches scheduled to be held at Wembley Stadium in London.

Nine venues in four host countries – England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland – will host the 24-team tournament.

Matches were also scheduled to be played in Northern Ireland, but Casement Park in Belfast was removed as an option due to a lack of funding.

UEFA’s decision to play the first match in the Welsh capital has been confirmed with the tournament officially kicking off on Wednesday.

Noel Mooney, Chief Executive of the Football Association of Wales, said: “This will be the first time our passionate Welsh fans have played a major international tournament on home soil.”

“This is a truly historic occasion that will unite communities, inspire future generations and showcase the best of Welsh football and culture on the world stage.”

Unlike the previous Euro tournament, the host nations will have to qualify for the 2028 tournament, however, they will be guaranteed to play their group matches at home if they do so directly.

Each of the four host nations will be in separate qualifying groups, with two places also allocated to the higher-ranked teams that were unable to qualify through the different qualification methods.

The quarter-finals will be played at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Wembley – which was also used as the semi-final and final venue in 1996, and in the postponed 2020 edition.

The Etihad Stadium, where the Three Lions will play their opening group stage match if they qualify directly, before switching to Wembley, is one of five other stadiums in use in England.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Villa Park, Everton’s Hill Dickenson Stadium and Newcastle’s St James’ Park are the others that will be used during the 51 matches overall.

The qualifying draw will take place in Belfast on December 6, 2026.

Speaking at the launch, Debbie Hewitt, Chair of UK & Ireland 2028 Limited, promised to deliver a “best ever” European Championship.

“It will be a tournament for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the game – its passion and its ability to bring people together,” she added.

Meanwhile, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: “The host countries, where the game first took shape, are eager to welcome millions of fans to the legendary stadiums, providing the right stage for the festival of emotions.”