Today, on March 21, the national team of Ukraine will kick off their eighth cycle of playoff matches in World Cup and European Championship qualifiers with a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica.

Out of seven previous attempts, only one was successful — in November 2015, when Mikhail Fomenko's wards overcame the Slovenians by winning both matches and secured their place in the final stage of Euro-2016.

By the way, this was the last time Ukraine participated in the playoff stage under the old format (two matches against one opponent — home and away). In March 2022, under Oleksandr Petrakov's leadership, our team was scheduled to play under a new format — a mini-tournament of four teams: semifinals and finals.

However, the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine altered these plans, and the matches took place not in March but in June. First came victory over Scotland on their home turf, followed by defeat to Wales (also away), which could have been avoided if the referee had awarded a penalty for fouling Yarmolenko. So, it was the Welsh who went to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar...

Ukraine national team in playoff matches of World Cup and Euro qualifiers