Three Lions returns to St. James Park after 19 years

The Saint James Park of Newcastle United will serve as the new home field for England’s Three Lions for two pre-Euro 2024 friendly matches, the team has stated. Meanwhile, this is the first time in 19 years England will be playing a game at the Park since 2005 when they defeated Azerbaijan 2-0 in a World Cup qualifying game.

According to The Athletic, England will play two friendly matches at the football ground in June before beginning their Euro 2024 campaign in Germany.

The Three Lions will play Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 3 at St. James’ Park and four days later play Iceland at Wembley Stadium. This will be the first international encounter for the England national team at the Magpies’ home ground since 2005.

Speaking to reporters, England boss Gareth Southgate said:

“We’re really looking forward to taking the team back to the North East and to a city that is synonymous with football in this country. We will follow that with another special occasion at Wembley allowing our fans the opportunity to give us a final send off before we head to Germany for another exciting summer. Both opponents in June are sure to provide stiff competition and play an important part in our preparation for the tournament.”

The stadium in Newcastle has hosted 18 international matches to date, with the local nation appearing in seven of them. The last time St. James’ Park held an international match was in September 2023, when Saudi Arabia faced Costa Rica and South Korea in two friendly games. On February 17, Eddie Howe’s team will face Bournemouth in a vital Premier League encounter at St James’ Park.