Euro 2028 to kick off in Cardiff, final set for Wembley
LONDON: Cardiff will host the opening match of the 2028 European Championship on June 9, with the final scheduled for London’s Wembley Stadium on July 9, tournament organizers UEFA announced on Wednesday. The tournament, co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, will feature 51 matches involving 24 nations across nine venues in eight cities, also including Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. The semifinals and one quarter-final will also be held at Wembley, while the other last-eight matches will be staged in Dublin, Glasgow and Cardiff. Matches in the round of 16 will be distributed across all host venues, with the exception of Wembley. Host nations that qualify for the tournament directly will see their group-stage matches played on home soil. “At UEFA EURO 2028, we will all speak football – loud, clear and united,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement. “The host nations, where the game first took shape, are eager to welcome millions of fans into legendary stadiums... “In the way matches are staged – including a new, more convenient kick-off time for the final ...