Main coach of Ukraine's youth team, Unai Melgosa, commented on today’s draw for the Euro 2027 (U-21) qualifying tournament in an exclusive interview with the UAF press service. As a result of the draw, our team has been placed in Group N, where they will face Croatia, Hungary, Turkey, and Lithuania.

— Unai, please comment on the results of the draw. Are you satisfied?

— Yes, a new qualification round will begin, which is a new opportunity to see our young players and how they fare against good and strong opponents.

— In your opinion, the fact that our team ended up in a group of five rather than six participants, plus or minus?

— We will play fewer matches than in the previous qualifying cycle. But they will still be very important for us.

— During the draw, Ukraine's youth team was seeded from the first pot as a conditional favorite. Does this add to our image and responsibility?

— There is always great responsibility when the national team plays. Our main task is to demonstrate our best version every game day while we represent the colors of the national team.

— If you can, characterize each of our future opponents.

— Right now, I can only speak superficially about the opponents. As everyone knows. Each generation of footballers differs from the previous one. And every team decides which players to include in matches. So we will observe. But note that all opponents are worthy of attention and respect. They all have potential. Therefore, as I said earlier, we need to show our best version to be competitive.

— During the March training camp in Turkey, will you invite exclusively players who are going to Euro 2025, or will you also check out footballers already with an eye on the qualification campaign for Euro 2027?

— We will invite the best players of different ages and try to give a chance to those players we see in perspective.

Photo UEFA

Euro 2027 (U-21) Qualifying Tournament Draw

Group A: Spain, Romania, Finland, Kosovo, Cyprus, San Marino.

Group B: Portugal, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Scotland, Azerbaijan, Gibraltar.

Group C: France, Switzerland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Estonia.

Group D: England, Ireland, Slovakia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Andorra.

Group E: Italy, Poland, Sweden, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Armenia.

Group F: Germany, Georgia, Greece, Northern Ireland, Latvia, Malta.

Group G: Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Group H: Ukraine, Croatia, Hungary, Turkey, Lithuania.

Group I: Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Belarus.

Nine groups were formed: in six of them there will be six teams and in three — five.

In the final stage of Euro 2027 (U-21), 16 teams will participate: Albania, Serbia, and another 14 national teams that join them based on qualification results (nine group winners, the best team among second-place finishers, and four playoff winners).

Match windows for the group stage of the qualifying tournament

2025:

• March 17-25;
• June 2-10;
• September 1-9;
• October 6-14;
• November 10-18.

2026:

• March 23-31;
• September 21 - October 6;

Playoff: November 9-17, 2026.

Euro 2027 (U-21) is planned to be held on four stadiums in Albania (Tirana, Shkodër, Elbasan, Rrogozhina) and four — Serbia (Novi Sad, Loznica, Leskovac, Zaječar). The opening match will take place in Serbia, the final — in Albania. It is worth noting that based on the results of Euro 2027 (U-21), UEFA Olympic qualifiers will be determined.