Updated October 8, 2026•13 min read

How to Plan a Euro 2028 Trip Across the UK and Ireland

Euro 2028 runs from 9 June to 9 July across nine venues in eight cities, but a match in Dublin and another in Glasgow are not a simple train transfer apart. Start with the published venue dates, choose a compact route and hold cancellable accommodation; team matchups and regular ticket prices are still pending.

1. Quick facts

Tournament

9 June–9 July 2028; 51 matches in eight cities

Opening and final

Cardiff on 9 June; Wembley on 9 July

Ticket sale

Prices in autumn 2027; sale after the final draw expected December 2027

Best first decision

One regional cluster and a refundable hotel, before flights

A venue date identifies a fixture slot, not its final teams or a ticket you can buy today. UEFA says regular prices arrive in autumn 2027 and sales start after the expected December 2027 draw. Do not pay a speculative reseller or buy a nonrefundable multi-city route around an unconfirmed team.

AI illustration of a FlowTrip football trip on a phone in Cardiff

2. Start with the fixture map, then choose a route

🗓️ Use the dates UEFA actually published

Cardiff opens on 9 June, with further group matches on 14, 18 and 21 June. Wembley hosts group matches on 11, 14, 16 and 19 June, while Tottenham plays on 12, 15, 18 and 21 June. Manchester begins on 10 June; Liverpool on 11 June; Glasgow and Dublin both begin on 10 June. Build a two- or three-match shortlist by venue and date rather than assuming your preferred national team will play there.

🚆 The easiest rail corridor is within Britain

A Cardiff and London opening stretch can cover Cardiff on 9 June, Wembley on 11 June and Tottenham on 12 June, with a hotel move after the opener. Manchester and Liverpool have consecutive fixtures on 10 and 11 June and a short city-centre rail connection. Birmingham connects naturally with London or the northwest. Avoid planning a cross-country overnight transfer immediately after a late match unless the operator publishes a workable service.

✈️ Treat Dublin as a separate island leg

Dublin Arena has fixtures on 10, 12, 16, 19 and 21 June. A Glasgow plus Dublin trip can work with a full travel day and a flight, or a researched ferry-and-rail itinerary. There is no direct train between those two cities. Put airport security, possible baggage limits and the stadium journey into the day plan; a cheap early flight after an evening fixture may be false economy.

🏟️ Know the nine grounds

The National Stadium of Wales is central Cardiff; Manchester City Stadium is east of Manchester centre; Everton Stadium is on Liverpool waterfront; Villa Park is in Aston; St James’ Park sits near Newcastle centre; Hampden is south of Glasgow centre; Dublin Arena is at Lansdowne Road. London has two distinct grounds, Wembley and Tottenham, so a single “London stadium” journey plan will be wrong.

Put the venue, ticket application holder, hotel cancellation deadline and matchday meeting point in one shared plan. A confirmed stadium date still does not confirm your team or tickets.

3. Choose hotels by the return journey

🏨 Cardiff and London: walkability versus breadth

For the Cardiff opener, a hotel around Cardiff Central or the city centre puts the National Stadium of Wales within a short walk, though post-match station queues will still matter. In London, Wembley Park suits a Wembley-heavy itinerary; Euston or Kings Cross suits onward rail; central or north London makes two London venues possible. Compare the actual door-to-door trip for Wembley and Tottenham separately before committing to one room.

🚉 Northwest England: one base or two

Manchester Piccadilly or Northern Quarter works for a Manchester match and a daytime Liverpool rail outing; Liverpool city centre around Lime Street or the waterfront gives you a stronger Liverpool weekend. Everton Stadium is at Bramley Moore Dock, not beside Anfield or Goodison Park. Ask whether the match-night return to Manchester is both scheduled and comfortable before treating the two cities as one hotel market.

🎭 Glasgow and Dublin: stay on useful transit lines

Glasgow Central and Merchant City make rail arrival simple; a Southside room can shorten the Hampden trip if the group cares more about the game than central nightlife. In Dublin, Grand Canal Dock, Ballsbridge and the city centre have different price and walking trade-offs. The Aviva/Dublin Arena stop is Lansdowne Road DART; a cheaper room far west of town can add transfers after the match.

📄 Hold rooms with clear cancellation terms

For two friends sharing, compare total room cost including taxes, bedding and cancellation deadline, then divide by two. For a group of six, two triple rooms may be less comfortable than three twins; put the actual bed configuration in the vote. Do not equate an advertised apartment sleeping six with six proper beds or automatic permission for a gathering. Save a refundable first choice and one fallback per city.

4. Sort tickets, rail and flights in the right order

🎟️ Use the official ticket route

UEFA plans roughly three million tickets, with more than 40% in affordable categories, a public ballot and no dynamic pricing. Pricing and full terms are due in autumn 2027, with sales after the final draw expected in December 2027. Join official UEFA updates, agree which friend handles applications, and decide whether the group would attend a neutral fixture if its preferred team is unavailable.

🧾 Protect the trip from an unsuccessful ballot

A successful room hold is not a match ticket. Write down the last free-cancellation date, when rail and flight purchases become irreversible and the maximum group loss if no tickets arrive. One option is to keep a flexible city-break plan with public screening and other activities, but only after checking official fan-zone announcements; those have not been confirmed for 2028.

🚇 Use operator routes, not stadium names alone

Cardiff Central is approximately five minutes on foot from Principality Stadium according to Transport for Wales. Tottenham has four main nearby stations, including White Hart Lane and Northumberland Park. Hampden uses Mount Florida or Kings Park trains from Glasgow Central; ScotRail warns that event queuing and late services change. Dublin Arena uses Lansdowne Road DART. Recheck event-specific maps and accessibility routes nearer the fixture.

🛂 Check travel documents for every person

A UK-based leg and a Republic of Ireland leg can involve separate entry requirements depending on citizenship and residence. Before buying travel between countries, have each traveler verify current official entry guidance for their passport and any transit. Give one person responsibility for collecting arrival airports and document check dates, not passport scans in an informal group chat.

5. A practical first-week plan

🏴 9–12 June: opening-game option

Arrive Cardiff on 8 June, attend the 9 June opening fixture if you later secure tickets, and stay two nights to avoid rushing the crowd onto a late train. Transfer to London on 10 June. Wembley has a group fixture 11 June and Tottenham another 12 June. This is a venue-based sample: teams, ballot outcomes and kickoffs must be checked before buying the trains.

⚽ 10–14 June: northwest alternative

Start Manchester 10 June, move or day-trip to Liverpool for 11 June, and choose Manchester 13 June or Liverpool 14 June as a third potential match. Leave a full afternoon for the waterfront or Northern Quarter instead of treating every day as transport. A Manchester airport arrival with a Manchester hotel is straightforward; do not infer a 2028 post-match shuttle for either venue from ordinary league schedules.

🌊 Add Scotland or Ireland only with a buffer

For Glasgow 13 June, travel up from Manchester or Liverpool on 12 June and sleep in Glasgow before the game. For Dublin 16 June, travel on 15 June, preferably with a separate buffer between Glasgow checkout and Dublin check-in. An overnight ferry can be a deliberate trip experience, but flights usually leave more sightseeing time; compare all-in baggage and airport transfers.

👥 Agree a group rule for splits

Friends may win different ballot matches or prefer different cities. Keep one shared accommodation decision and a clear reimbursement deadline for each leg. Let anyone add optional matches without obliging the whole group to pay for extra nights; reconvene at a named station or hotel rather than assuming everyone will follow the same schedule.

6. A transparent planning budget

💷 Seven-night working example

For one person sharing rooms on a week covering two British bases plus Dublin, reserve £500–£900 equivalent for seven nights, £150–£330 for intercity rail and a cross-sea flight, £210–£350 for food, £60–£130 for local transport and £75–£175 contingency. Total before home-country flights and match tickets: £995–£1,885 equivalent. Currency conversion is only for comparison; Dublin rooms and food are charged in euros.

🎫 Ticket prices are still unknown

Keep ticket money in a separate pot marked “pending UEFA pricing.” Four match applications can produce zero, one or several successes, and an official ballot is not a guarantee of seats together. Do not add a made-up face-value ticket figure to a supposedly precise 2028 total. If your group has a hard ceiling, decide the maximum all-in match spend before sales open.

💸 Show the group the real exposure

The model assumes twin-share accommodation and no hired car. A single room, flexible long-haul air fare, final weekend or premium hospitality can exceed it. Compare three scenarios: no tickets and refundable rooms, one city with two games, and a multi-city week. Record deposits and cancellation dates in one ledger so the organizer is not silently financing everyone else.

Frequently asked questions

When is Euro 2028?

The tournament runs from 9 June to 9 July 2028. Cardiff stages the opening game and Wembley the final.

Can I buy Euro 2028 tickets now?

UEFA says regular prices and full details will be announced in autumn 2027, with sales after the final draw expected in December 2027.

Can I travel from Glasgow to Dublin by train?

Not directly. Compare a flight with a separately planned ferry-and-rail route and allow a travel day.

Which city should I book first?

Choose a venue-date cluster, then hold a refundable room near a useful station or stadium route. Do not assume team assignments are final.

Sources and review date

Research checked 8 October 2026. Recheck UEFA fixtures and ticketing, live accommodation and matchday transport before booking.

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