Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium will stage the England senior team this summer, as they play two UEFA EURO 2020 warm-up fixtures against Austria and Romania.
The Three Lions will be based in the north-east for both matches as Gareth Southgate’s squad kickstart their summer preparations in the north-east.
England will face fellow EURO finalists Austria on Wednesday 2 June (8pm*) before taking on Romania on Sunday 6 June (5pm*) for obligatory pre-tournament fixtures.
With Wembley Stadium gearing up to be a EURO 2020 host venue, the Three Lions are once again heading out on the road having played in Manchester, Sunderland, Leeds, Leicester and Southampton since 2016.
And the Riverside Stadium was selected to host both fixtures to help support a COVID-secure environment for the squad.
It's a familiar venue for England, having previously welcomed a number of our national teams; most recently the senior women’s 2-1 defeat by Brazil in October 2019 while the men's under-21s have played there on eight previous occasions since the stadium opened in 1995.
The senior men’s team’s only previous game at the Riverside was a 2-1 EURO 2004-qualifying win over Slovakia in June 2003, although they played at Middlesbrough’s old Ayresome Park ground on three occasions between 1905 and 1937.
As things stand, the fixtures are scheduled to be played behind-closed-doors but we'll continue to liaise with relevant authorities and explore the possibility of supporters being in attendance.
Should it be deemed safe for fans to attend then any ticketing arrangements will be communicated via the FA and not Middlesbrough FC. Both matches will be televised live on ITV.
After their stay in Teesside, the squad will travel to St. George’s Park which is the squad’s designated EURO 2020 basecamp.
The Three Lions are drawn against Croatia, Scotland and Czech Republic in Group D. All three fixtures will be played at Wembley with dates set for Sunday 13 June (2pm, v Croatia), Friday 18 June (8pm, v Scotland) and Tuesday 22 June (8pm, v Czech Republic).
* Subject to UEFA approval
