Today, May 6, the Ukraine U-16 national team (players born in 2009 or later) played their second match at the UEFA Development Tournament in Finland.

The blue and yellow team continued their participation in the tournament in Finland as part of their preparation for the Euro-2026 U-17 qualification. In their first match, Coach Oleksandr Sitnik's players lost to Greece (1:3), and now they faced the hosts.

In the first half, the Ukrainians managed to create two dangerous moments. First, Shevts gave a shot from the corner of the penalty area that went just past the post, and then Kvikvinia hit the crossbar with a 15-meter shot. The opponent responded with an aerial shot by Akva, which Stepanov defended with difficulty.

After halftime, the Finns finally opened the score. On the 65th minute, following a multi-pass combination, Toivo Koivuranta was quickest to react in the Ukrainian penalty area and scored past Stepanov — 1:0.

The best chance for Ukraine came on the 84th minute, but two consecutive saves by the Finnish goalkeeper denied Serdyuk and Dobrovolsky's efforts. Unfortunately, this second loss eliminated Ukraine from contention in these tournaments.

Their final match at the tournament will be against Hungary on May 9 (kickoff — 10:00).

UEFA Development Tournament among U-16 national teams

May 6, 2025

Ukraine (U-16) — Finland (U-16) — 0:1 (0:0)

Goal: Koivuranta (65).

Ukraine (U-16): Stepanov, Panchyshyn (Shapovalov, 68), Kvikvinia (Serdyuk, 46), Onishchuk (c) (Levitsky, 46), Dyachok (Yermak, 46), Yablonsky, Voloshko (Rudzei, 68), Kozushko (Ivanov, 68), Zadorozhnyy (Gorbatov, 46), Shevts (Dobrovolsky, 46), Harkyechev (Smotrytskyi, 46).

Finland (U-16): Lahhti (c), Heikari (Tarwiarvi, 80), Jungfu, Kilonen (Pananen, 69), Korhala (Valkealahdi, 69), la (Zaberka, 90), Koivuranta (Nyubek, 90), Ventu, Eeroi (De Nascimento, 80), Arvoja, Mendolin (Mykäeläinen, 80), Akva (Malinen, 69).

Yellow cards: Dyachok (18), Kozushko (45), Voloshko (45) — Malinen (78), Tarwiarvi (82), Valkealahdi (90+3), De Nascimento (90+3).

Hungary — Greece — 1:2

Standings

May 9, 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 qualification took place. As a result of this draw, Ukraine's youth team found itself in Group 1 where they will face Italy, Montenegro and Estonia. The host of the mini-tournament will be Estonia.

Schedule for Ukraine's U-17 national team

October 1, 2025. Montenegro — Ukraine

October 4, 2025. Ukraine — Estonia

October 7, 2025. Ukraine — Italy

Results of the first round Euro-2026 U-17 qualification draw

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 national team, will also participate in the qualification.

The results of the first round qualification will see 14 group winners and 14 teams finishing second 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 qualification in League A will compete for seven spots at Euro-2026 U-17 in spring of 2026. Estonia, as the host nation, automatically received a bye pass. It is worth noting that this round also serves as a qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (U-17) in Qatar.

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