The U-16 Ukrainian national team will participate in the UEFA Development Tournament in Finland in May

The Ukrainian youth team (football players born in 2009 or later), led by Oleg Holodyuk, will participate in the UEFA Development Tournament in Finland in May.

The U-16 Ukrainian national team will participate in the UEFA Development Tournament in Finland in May

Photo from uefa.com

The Ukrainian youth team (players born in 2009 or later), which was led by Oleg Hlodiyuk, will participate in the UEFA Development Tournament in May. The tournament will be hosted by Finland.

The matches will take place from May 4 to May 9. At the tournament, blue and yellow (who are preparing for the Euro-2026 U-17 qualifications), will play against peers from Greece, Finland, and Hungary.

UEFA Development Tournament among youth teams U-16

04.05.2025

Finland — Hungary (14:00)

Greece — Ukraine (18:30)

06.05.2025

Hungary — Greece (13:00)

Ukraine — Finland (17:30)

09.05.2025

Ukraine — Hungary (10:00)

Finland — Greece (15:00)

Recall, on December 5 in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the first round of Euro-2026 U-17 qualifications took place. According to its results, Ukraine's youth team (currently it is U-16, players born in 2009) ended up in Group 1, where they will face Italy, Montenegro, and Estonia. The host of the mini-tournament will be Estonia.

Schedule of matches for Ukraine's youth team U-17

01.10.2025. Montenegro — Ukraine 

04.10.2025. Ukraine — Estonia

07.10.2025. Ukraine — Italy  

Results of the draw for the first round of Euro-2026 U-17 qualifications

Group 1: Italy, Ukraine, Montenegro, Estonia.

Group 2: Czech Republic, Hungary, North Macedonia, Gibraltar.

Group 3: England, Sweden, Lithuania, Scotland.

Group 4: Spain, Denmark, Latvia, Andorra.

Group 5: Belgium, Norway, Belarus, Moldova.

Group 6: Austria, Ireland, Kosovo, Faroe Islands.

Group 7: Serbia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta.

Group 8: Croatia, Netherlands, Albania, Kazakhstan.

Group 9: France, Israel, Romania, Azerbaijan.

Group 10: Switzerland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, San Marino.

Group 11: Northern Ireland, Finland, Cyprus, Armenia.

Group 12: Portugal, Slovenia, Wales, Liechtenstein.

Group 13: Poland, Germany, Luxembourg.

Group 14: Greece, Iceland, Georgia.

54 teams were divided into 12 groups of four participants and two groups of three participants. The host of the final tournament, Estonia's team, will also participate in the qualifications.

Based on the results of the first round of qualifications, 14 group winners and 14 teams that took second place will advance to the second round of League A. The remaining 26 teams will take part in the second round of League B.

Teams advancing to the second round of qualifications in League A will compete for seven spots at the Euro-2026 U-17 finals in spring 2026. Estonia, as the host of the tournament, received an automatic berth. It is worth noting that the qualification round in League A is also a qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Moreover, teams from both leagues of the second round will compete for promotion and relegation between leagues before the first round of Euro-2028 (U-19) qualifications.