The Ukrainian U-19 national team (players born in or after 2005) concluded their training camp by participating in an international tournament held in South Korea. In addition to the hosts, the blue-and-yellow team also played against teams from Vietnam and Morocco.

The head coach of our team, Oleh Kuznetsov, shared the results of this work with the official website of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF).

— I can confidently say that I will record this training session as a positive for our national team,— said Oleg Volodymyrovych. — The matches we played will be beneficial to the team before the European Championship qualification round.

— Did you find the level of Asian and African teams satisfactory?

— Without a doubt. A few years ago, South Korea was in second or third place in its region, but now it has significantly improved. At the youth level, this team looks very impressive. Morocco is one of the best teams on the African continent, and most of their players play for good European clubs. And Vietnam is also a well-trained team; the players know what to do on the field. Perhaps they lack height, but they fight until the end... We wouldn't have found such games in Ukraine, so we can only thank UAF's leadership for allowing us to play against these, let’s say, exotic teams.

Photo by the press service of UAF

— Can you attribute the loss in the first match to South Korea to acclimatization?

— To some extent, yes. This was our third day there. It's worth noting that we traveled for a whole day to Warsaw and then had an 11-hour flight to South Korea, with a six-hour time difference from Ukraine. I also can't ignore the food, which was spicy and unusual for us. However, if our first match had been against Vietnam, perhaps the result in the game against the hosts would have been different.

— In a month, your team will start the qualification round for Euro-2024 (U-19). How many percent of the squad have you already decided on?

— I won't say in percentages, but 17 to 18 players are in the mix. However, I understand that there could be force majeure situations, as someone might get injured or fall ill. It's important that we managed to see many newcomers in action, so some of them may also end up among those who will go to the qualification.

— When do you plan to start training in November?

— If plans don't change, we'll leave from Kyiv to Poland on the 11th. On the 12th, we will fly to Malta and our first match is scheduled for the 15th.

Seoul Cup International Tournament (U-19)

October 10, 2023

South Korea — Ukraine — 4:2

Vietnam — Morocco — 0:5

October 12, 2023

Ukraine — Vietnam — 3:2

South Korea — Morocco — 1:1

October 15, 2023

Morocco — Ukraine — 3:4

South Korea — Vietnam — 2:0

Final Standings

We remind you that from November 15 to 21, this Ukrainian U-19 team will play in the qualification round for Euro-2024 (U-19). According to the results of the draw, the blue-and-yellow team will face teams from Slovakia, Kosovo, and Malta (the hosts).

Qualification Group Composition for Euro-2024 (U-19)

Group 1: France, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia.

Group 2: Norway, Hungary, Latvia, Gibraltar.

Group 3: Serbia, Scotland, Bulgaria, Andorra.

Group 4: Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Liechtenstein.

Group 5: Germany, Poland, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan.

Group 6: Spain, Georgia, Cyprus, Moldova.

Group 7: Ukraine, Slovakia, Kosovo, Malta.

Group 8: Turkey, Greece, Belarus, Lithuania.

Group 9: Israel, Croatia, Armenia, Faroe Islands.

Group 10: Czech Republic, Romania, Finland, San Marino.

Group 11: Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg.

Group 12: England, Austria, Wales, Montenegro.

Group 13: Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia, Albania.

The winners of the first two places in each group and the best third-place finisher based on results against the top two teams will join Portugal in the elite round of qualification.

The Northern Ireland national team, as hosts, has earned a direct entry to the final stage, which will take place in summer 2024.