Futsal EURO 2026 Qualifiers. Ukraine triumphs against Romania on the road

17.12.2024 20:37

The team led by Oleksandr Kosenko continued their campaign in the main round of UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 Qualifiers with an away match against Romania in Târgu Mureș.

The Blue and Yellows began their Group 1 journey with a dominant 7:0 win over Cyprus and faced Romania away today. From the start, Ukraine applied pressure on the opponents' goal but lacked precision. That changed in the 11th minute when Zvarych converted a pass from Abakshyn into a goal. Shortly after, the visitors doubled their lead — Tonitza's clearance hit Zvarych, and Shved calmly slotted the rebound into the empty net. Before halftime, Melnyk's shot from a set piece rattled the crossbar.

At the start of the second half, Tonitza made several crucial saves to keep Romania in the game. While the hosts responded with decent attacks, Ukraine remained closer to scoring. Late in the match, Romania played with a fifth field player and created opportunities but failed to beat Sukhov. As a result, Ukraine secured another away victory, 2:0.

UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 Qualifiers. Main Round. Group 1

12.12.2024

Romania — Germany — 6:0

13.12.2024

Cyprus — Ukraine — 0:7

17.12.2024

Romania — Ukraine — 0:2 (0:2)

Goals: Zvarych (11), Shved (13).

Romania: Tonitza (c) — Islay, Araujo, Kovács, Hadnagy; Voin, Gavrilă, Toader, Ciușmedie, Nastai, Butnaru, Balint, Crețun.

Ukraine: Sukhov — Abakshyn, Zvarych, Korsun (c), Semenchenko; Savenko, Shved, Zhuk, Mykytuyk, Melnyk, Chernyavskyi, Farenyuk, Lebid, Pervieiev.

Booked: Crețun (31), Nastai (35) — Abakshyn (19).

December 17. Târgu Mureș. City Hall Arena.

Standings

December 18, 2024

Germany vs. Cyprus (19:30)

January 31, 2025

Romania vs. Cyprus

Germany vs. Ukraine

February 4, 2025

Ukraine vs. Germany

February 5, 2025

Cyprus vs. Romania

April 11, 2025

Germany vs. Romania

Ukraine vs. Cyprus

April 15, 2025

Ukraine vs. Romania

Cyprus vs. Germany

Futsal EURO 2026 Main Round Draw

Group 1: Ukraine, Romania, Germany, Cyprus.

Group 2: Finland, Italy, Belarus, Malta.

Group 3: Poland, Slovakia, Moldova, Turkiye.

Group 4: Slovenia, Hungary, Montenegro, Norway.

Group 5: Croatia, Azerbaijan, Sweden, Greece.

Group 6: Kazakhstan, Armenia, Denmark, Albania.

Group 7: Portugal, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Andorra.

Group 8: Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, England, Switzerland.

Group 9: Serbia, Czechia, Belgium, Austria.

Group 10: France, Georgia, Kosovo, Bulgaria.

Futsal EURO 2026 Qualification Format

The qualification process consists of three stages: the preliminary round (mini-tournaments), the main round (home and away group matches), and the playoffs (home and away).

Latvia and Lithuania, the tournament hosts, receive automatic spots for EURO 2026. Some teams begin in the preliminary round, while others enter directly into the main round.

Main Round (December 9, 2024 – April 16, 2025)

A total of 40 teams (the 34 best teams according to the December ranking and the 6 best teams from the preliminary round) will be divided into 10 groups of four teams each. Every team will play against others in their group both at home and away. The 10 group winners will join Latvia and Lithuania in the final stage, while the 8 best second-place teams will advance to the playoffs.

For the draw, teams were placed into four pots of 10 teams based on their coefficients as of April 18, 2024. Ukraine was placed in Group 1, where they will face Romania, Germany, and Cyprus.

Playoffs (September 15-24, 2025)

The 8 second-place teams will be split into four pairs. After home and away matches, the final four spots in the final stage will be determined.

Final Tournament (January 18 – February 8, 2026, exact dates to be announced)

16 teams will be divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarterfinals.