Sawt Falasteen - England set for Etihad start to Euro 2028 tournament campaign

The launch, which included an unveiling of the match schedule, saw some speakers struggle to be heard as a small but noisy pro-Palestine protest took place directly outside the event, with demonstrators chanting against Israel's continued membership of UEFA, the governing body of European football.

Organisers announced England would open their campaign at the Etihad before playing their final two group games at London's Wembley Stadium if they qualify directly.

England would play at Newcastle's St James' Park if they won Group B, before returning to Wembley for the rest of the tournament, with the national stadium set to stage one quarter-final, both semi-finals and the final, which will be held on July 9.

The final was confirmed as a 5pm local (1600 GMT) kick-off -- three hours earlier than the Euro 2020 final at Wembley which became infamous for the chaotic scenes outside the stadium as ticketless supporters tried to force entry.

If England, who have not won a major men's international football tournament since beating the then West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley, finish second in the group they will travel head to Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium for the last 16, before going on to the Principality Stadium.

Wales are set to open the tournament at the Cardiff venue on June 9.

Nine stadiums in eight cities will stage the tournament, with Villa Park and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the other Premier League venues involved.

England and Wales could meet in a Wembley quarter-final if both teams win their groups.

The four hosts will enter qualification, but there will be two places reserved for any that fail to either win their group or finish as one of the eight best runners-up.

Debbie Hewit, the chair of both England's Football Association and UK and Ireland 2028 Ltd, promised the "best-ever" Euro, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin saying: "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."

An independent assessment estimated the tournament will generate £3.6 billion ($4.7 billion) in socio-economic benefit between 2028 and 2031.

W.Mansour--SF-PST