Serhiy Sapronov: "A promising women's team is taking shape"

08.06.2024 18:00

The head coach of Ukraine's WU-17 team, Serhiy Sapronov, spoke to the official UAF website about their opponents in League B of the first round of the 2024/2025 European Championship qualifiers:

— The draw took place on June 7. Currently, we know that Ukraine's competitors will be the teams from Romania, Malta, and Moldova. We will be informed about the dates and location of the competition next week. My assistants and I have already started gathering information about our future opponents.

— It might be easiest to gather a dossier on Romania, as Ukraine faced them last year in the UEFA Development Tournament and the Euro qualifiers...

— I wouldn't jump to conclusions, as after the departure of players born in 2007, they have been replaced by younger players, one to two years younger. Although the Romanian team has always been a convenient opponent for us, and we usually play successfully against them. The dark horse in our group is Malta. Women's football has started to gain attention in that country, and it has shown immediate results. As for Moldova, they play in a similar style to Romania – equally tough and persistent in their defense.

— How has the generational change gone in Ukraine's girls' national team?

— The core of the team consists of players from Kryvbas and Ladomyr. Currently, there is some uncertainty only in the defensive line, as only one player from the previous squad remains there – Alina Savka from Vorskla. It’s encouraging that we have a promising forward – Karina Lespukh from Mynai, who has a keen eye for goals. If we strengthen our defense, we will have a fairly competitive squad.

— Lastly, what position are you aiming for with your team?

— Most likely, our qualifying tournament will be held at the end of September, and there should be no problems with match practice as the Ukrainian Championship starts in August. Therefore, the goal is to take first place and return to the elite division.

Euro 2025 (WU-17) First Qualifying Round

League A

Group A1: Portugal, Switzerland, Wales, Slovenia.

Group A2: Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Group A3: England, Netherlands, Czechia, Faroe Islands.

Group A4: Poland, Scotland, Iceland, Northern Ireland.

Group A5: France, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria.

Group A6: Spain, Austria, Denmark, Ireland.

Group A7: Norway, Finland, Greece, Belarus.

League B

Group B1: Slovakia, Montenegro, Latvia, Georgia.

Group B2: Ukraine, Romania, Malta, Moldova.

Group B3: Hungary, North Macedonia, Lithuania, Andorra.

Group B4: Kosovo, Israel, Albania.

Group B5: Serbia, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan.

Group B6: Sweden, Estonia, Kazakhstan.

It is noteworthy that the Ukraine WU-17 team finished last in their group in this year's European Championship's second round and was relegated to League B. Following the first-round draw, Serhiy Sapronov's team was placed in Group B2, where they will compete against Romania, Malta, and Moldova.

League A

Twenty-eight teams will compete in League A, including the current champion, Spain, and seven teams promoted from League B based on the results of the 2023/2024 Euro second round. The participants were divided into seven groups. Each group will play in a mini-tournament format hosted by one of the participants.

Teams that finish in fourth place will continue the season in the second round in League B. The seeding of participants for the second round will depend on their first-round group standings. The Faroe Islands will also participate in the competition despite having a direct ticket to the finals as hosts.

League B

Twenty-one teams will compete in League B (including teams relegated from League A in the 2023/2024 Euro second round). These teams will compete for promotion to League A in six groups. The group winners and the best second-placed team (considering results against their groups' first and third-placed teams) will be promoted to the higher division.

Advancement to the Final Stage

The second qualifying round will take place at the beginning of 2025. Based on the League A competition, seven teams will join the Faroe Islands in the final stage.