EURO 2024. Latest from Ukraine's camp: preparation for the continental championship commenced from Kyiv railway station

From the capital, footballers Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mykola Matviyenko, Georgiy Sudakov, Yukhym Konoplya, Volodymyr Brazhko, Oleksandr Zubkov, Oleksandr Tymchyk, Valeriy Bondar, Bohdan Mykhaylichenko, and Oleksandr Svatok embarked on the journey. Some players will join the team in Lviv and Krakow, while foreign-based players will meet the team at their first camp location in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Photo by Dan Balashov

Before departure, the team was greeted at the Kyiv train station by EURO 2024 ambassador and former German national team player Arne Friedrich, who coincidentally celebrated his 45th birthday today. This fact was noted by Oleksandr Zinchenko, who not only congratulated Friedrich but also expressed respect for his visit to Ukraine on such a significant day, especially considering the challenging times the country is facing.

Photo by Dan Balashov

Friedrich mentioned his fervent support for Ukraine during the playoffs and assured that he would continue to support the team during the EURO. In a light-hearted exchange, Zinchenko jokingly asked Friedrich which team he would support if Ukraine faced Germany, to which Friedrich replied that he would wear a shirt split in half—one side Ukrainian, the other German.

Traditionally, the players distributed numerous autographs on their way to the train, symbolizing their journey towards EURO.

Photo by Dan Balashov

Ukraine national team roster:

Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica, Portugal), Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid, Spain).

Defenders: Mykola Matviyenko, Yukhym Konoplya, Valeriy Bondar (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton, England), Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth, England), Oleksandr Svatok (SK Dnipro-1), Maksym Talovierov (LASK, Austria), Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr).

Midfielders: Andriy Yarmolenko, Mykola Shaparenko, Volodymyr Brazhko (all Dynamo Kyiv), Taras Stepanenko, Oleksandr Zubkov, Georgiy Sudakov (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal, England), Viktor Tsygankov (Girona, Spain), Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea, England), Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo, Belgium), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genoa, Italy).

Forwards: Artem Dovbyk (Girona, Spain), Roman Yaremchuk (Valencia, Spain), Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv).

Reserve list: Dmytro Riznyk, Danylo Sikan (both Shakhtar Donetsk), Denys Popov, Vitaliy Buyalskyi, Vladyslav Kabaiev (all Dynamo Kyiv), Yehor Yarmolyuk (Brentford, England).

The Ukrainian national team begins preparations for the final tournament today, May 30. On June 3, the team will play a friendly match against the hosts of EURO 2024 in Nuremberg, Germany. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.

The next day, the team will fly to Warsaw, Poland. In the capital of the neighboring country, Ukraine will play its next preparatory and friendly match against Poland on June 7. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.

The final match before the pre-tournament camp will be against the Moldovan national team on June 11 in Chisinau, Moldova. Kick-off is at 19:00 Kyiv time.

On June 12, the national team will arrive at their permanent base for EURO 2024 in Wiesbaden.

Group E Match Schedule for EURO 2024

June 17: Romania vs Ukraine. Arena Munich, Munich. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.

June 17: Belgium vs Slovakia. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

June 21: Slovakia vs Ukraine. Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.

June 22: Belgium vs Romania. Cologne Stadium, Cologne. Kick-off: 22:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Slovakia vs Romania. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Ukraine vs Belgium. Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

Kick-off times are in Kyiv time.

Oleksandr Hlyvynskyi, press secretary of the Ukrainian national team