Today, May 9, the Ukrainian U-16 national team (players born in 2009 or later) played their final match at the UEFA Development Tournament in Finland — against Hungary.

The blue-and-yellow team participated in the tournament as part of their preparation for the Euro-2026 (U-17) qualification. Earlier, under coach Oleksandr Sitnik's guidance, they lost to Greece (1:3) and the hosts (0:1), before facing Hungary.

Our boys opened the scoring in the 10th minute — Bida scored after a pass from Smotrytskyi. Shortly thereafter, the Hungarians equalized with an accurate shot by Bogdan following a corner kick; however, Gorbatov quickly restored Ukraine's lead with a mistake-prone goalkeeper save. Both teams had moments before halftime but managed to avoid further goals.

In the second half, Hungary stepped up their game, and towards the end of the match, Stepanov saved our team several times. Ultimately, blue-and-yellow held on to win — 2:1, finishing third overall in the tournament.

UEFA Development Tournament among U-16 national teams

04.05.2025

Finland — Hungary — 2:0

Greece — Ukraine — 3:1

06.05.2025

Hungary — Greece — 1:2

Ukraine — Finland — 0:1

09.05.2025

Ukraine (U-16) — Hungary (U-16) — 2:1 (2:1)

Goals: Bida (10), Gorbatov (16) — Bogdan (15).

Ukraine (U-16): Styolarenko (Stepanov, 46), Panchyshyn (Yablonskyi, 64), Smotrytskyi (Shapovalov, 64), Kvikviniia (Kozushko, 46), Onishchuk (Dyachok, 46), Bida (Seredyuk, 64), Voloshko (Dobrovolskyi, 46), Rudzey (Harkyechev, 64), Levitskyi, Gorbatov (Zadorozhnyi, 81), Ivanov (Shvec, 64).

Hungary (U-16): Ostoichy, Akcay (Vinche, 46), Papp (Beresh, 66), Sakal (Ferenc, 46), Milkovych, J. Varga (M. Kiss, 66), Bogdan (Skotner, 76), N. Kiss (For, 46), Visner (Somfalvi, 46), Nyari, Timar (D. Varga, 76).

Yellow cards: Shapovalov (86), Harkyechev (89), Shvec (90+3) — Bogdan (43).

Finland — Greece — 6:2

Final standings

Recall that on December 5 in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the first round of Euro-2026 (U-17) qualification took place. As a result, Ukraine's youth national team was placed in Group 1 where they will face Italy, Montenegro, and Estonia. The tournament host is Estonia.

Schedule for the Ukrainian U-17 National Team

01.10.2025. Montenegro — Ukraine

04.10.2025. Ukraine — Estonia

07.10.2025. Ukraine — Italy

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

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 tournament host, Estonia's national team, also participates in the qualification.

The winners of each group and the second-placed teams from the first round will advance to the second round of Group A. The remaining 26 teams will participate in the second round of Group B.

Teams advancing to the second round of qualification in Group A will compete for seven spots at Euro-2026 (U-17) in spring 2026. As hosts, Estonia automatically received a bye-pass. It is worth noting that this qualifying round also serves as the first round of qualification for the 2026 U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Additionally, teams from both Group A and B will compete to advance or drop between groups before the first round of Euro-2028 (U-19) qualification.