England set to return to St. James' Park for first time in 19 years as two pre-Euro 2024 friendlies are confirmed

According to The Athletic, England are all set to play two friendly matches at home in June before they kickstart their Euro 2024 campaign in Germany. The Three Lions will face Bosnia & Herzegovina on June 3 at St. James' Park and then take on Iceland on June 7 at Wembley Stadium. This will be the first time since 2005 that The Magpies' home ground will host an international match of the England national team.

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."

Until now, 18 international matches have taken place at the stadium in Newcastle out of which the home nation has appeared in seven games. The last time, St. James' Park hosted an international match was in September 2023 when Saudi Arabia took on Costa Rica and South Korea in two friendly fixtures.

Premier League action returns to St. James' Park on February 17 when Eddie Howe's side take on Bournemouth in an important fixture.