Today, May 4, the Ukrainian U-16 national team (players born in 2009 or later) will play their first match at the UEFA Development Tournament in Finland — against Greece.

The kickoff is at 18:30. A live broadcast will take place on the YouTube channel of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF).

“The tournament is taking place outside UEFA and FIFA dates, so many boys were not released by their clubs. Additionally, several candidates suffered injuries. This gathering for us will be like a selection process. However, of course, we want to see the core already as autumn brings the first qualifying round of the European Championship. But, considering all these factors, there is an opportunity to look at more candidates for the team. This is better than observing their club games.

Information about the teams from Finland and Hungary is available. However, regarding the Greek national team, our first opponent, almost no information is available. Perhaps this team has not yet been assembled, or they have not published any information.

We represent the country's colors, so we will try to perform as well as possible. The second task, which is equally important — seeing the boys in action, getting to know them better, finding out about their potential and psychological makeup, being fully prepared and understanding who to move forward with. All of this is preparation for official matches,” — stated the head coach of the Ukrainian U-16 national team Oleksandr Sitnik on the eve of the tournament.

Composition of the Ukrainian Youth National Team

Goalkeepers: Oleksandr Stepanov ("Shakhtar" Donetsk), Denis Stolyarenko ("Legia," Poland).

Defenders: Yegor Onyshchuk ("Shakhtar" Donetsk), Hryhoriy Shapovalov, Nazar Smotrichkyi (both — LNZ Chernihiv), Bogdan Levytskyi ("Ruh" Lviv), Markian Panchishyn ("Karpaty" Lviv), Nazariy Rudzey ("Borussia" D, Germany), Illia Yablonskyi ("Sporting," Portugal).

Midfielders: Danylo Dyachok, Danylo Yermak (both — "Dynamo" Kyiv), Yevheniy Voloshko ("Shakhtar" Donetsk), Yevheniy Horbatov ("Oleksandria"), Yaroslav Harkyievych ("Milan," Italy), Maksym Ivanov ("Sampdoria," Italy), Yaroslav Kozhushko ("Slavia," Czech Republic), Ruslan Shveyts ("Rayo Majadahonda," Spain).

Forwards: Volodymyr Kvikvinia ("Dynamo" Kyiv), Denis Bida ("Shakhtar" Donetsk), Kirill Serdyuk ("Nuremberg," Germany), Vladyslav Zadorozhnyi ("Slavia," Czech Republic), Andriy Dobrovolskyi ("Eupen," Belgium).

Schedule of UEFA Development Tournament Matches

May 4. Finland — Hungary. 14:00

May 4. Greece — Ukraine. 18:30

May 6. Hungary — Greece. 13:00

May 6. Ukraine — Finland. 17:30

May 9. Ukraine — Hungary. 10:00

May 9. Finland — Greece. 15:00

As a reminder, on December 5 in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the first round of qualification for Euro-2026 (U-17) took place. According to its results, the Ukrainian youth national team 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 the Ukrainian Youth National Team U-17

October 1, 2025. Montenegro — Ukraine 

October 4, 2025. Ukraine — Estonia

October 7, 2025. Ukraine — Italy 

Results of the Draw for the First Round of Qualification for Euro-2026 (U-17)

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, the Estonian national team, will also participate in the qualification.

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

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

Moreover, teams from both leagues of the second qualification round will compete to move up and down between leagues before the first round of Euro-2028 (U-19) qualification.