The head coach of the Ukraine national team, Serhiy Rebrov, has announced the list of players preparing for the qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup against France (September 5, Wroclaw, 9:45 PM) and Azerbaijan (September 9, Baku, 7:00 PM).

The main roster includes 25 players, with six in the reserve list.

Notable is the inclusion of two potential debutants — defender Taras Mykhalko from Kyiv's Dynamo and midfielder Oleh Ocheretnyk from Donetsk's Shakhtar.

Ukraine National Team Roster

Goalkeepers: Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid, Spain), Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica, Lisbon, Portugal), Dmytro Ryndyk (Shakhtar Donetsk).

Defenders: Illia Zabarnyi (Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, France), Oleksandr Svatok (Austin FC, USA), Valeri Bondar, Mykhailo Matviyenko, Yurym Konoplyanik (all — Shakhtar Donetsk), Taras Mykhalko, Oleksandr Timchuk (both — Dynamo Kyiv), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton, Liverpool, England).

Midfielders: Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal London, England), Yegor Yarmoluk (Brentford, England), Ivan Kaluzhnyi (Metalist 1925 Kharkiv), Mykhailo Shaparenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Oleh Ocheretnyk, Georgiy Sudakov, Artem Bondarenko (all — Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksiy Hutsulyak, Oleksandr Nazarenko (both — Polissya Zhytomyr), Viktor Tsygankov (Girona, Spain), Oleksandr Zubkov (Trabzonspor Trabzon, Turkey).

Forwards: Roman Yaremchuk (Olympiacos Piraeus, Greece), Artem Dovbyk (Roma Rome, Italy), Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv).

Reserve List

Georgiy Bushchan (Al-Shabab, Saudi Arabia), Bohdan Mykhailichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr), Yevhen Cheberko (Columbus Crew, USA), Oleksandr Pikhalyonok, Volodymyr Bratchuk, Nazar Voloshyn (all — Dynamo Kyiv).

The national team will gather on September 1st near the Polish city of Poznan. On September 4th, they will move to Wroclaw where they will face France at the "Taras Shevcenko Arena" on September 5th.

2026 World Cup Qualifiers in UEFA Zone. First Round

Group A: Germany, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg.

Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.

Group C: Denmark, Greece, Scotland, Belarus.

Group D: France, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan.

Group E: Spain, Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria.

Group F: Portugal, Hungary, Ireland, Armenia.

Group G: Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta.

Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino.

Group I: Italy, Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova.

Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.

Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra.

Group L: Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar.

Schedule of Group D Matches

Round 1. September 5, 2025

Ukraine — France 9:45 PM, Wroclaw

Iceland — Azerbaijan 9:45 PM, Reykjavik

Round 2. September 9, 2025

Azerbaijan — Ukraine 7:00 PM, Baku

France — Iceland 9:45 PM, Paris

Round 3. October 10, 2025

Iceland — Ukraine 9:45 PM, Reykjavik

France — Azerbaijan 9:45 PM, Paris

Round 4. October 13, 2025

Ukraine — Azerbaijan 9:45 PM

Iceland — France 9:45 PM, Reykjavik

Round 5. November 13, 2025

Azerbaijan — Iceland 7:00 PM, Baku

France — Ukraine 9:45 PM, Paris

Round 6. November 16, 2025

Ukraine — Iceland 7:00 PM

Azerbaijan — France 7:00 PM, Baku

Kick-off times are in Kyiv time.

UEFA (Europe): 16 spots.

The European qualification will take place from March 2025 to March 2026 and consists of two rounds. Teams will compete for 16 World Cup spots.

Round 1: Twelve groups with five or four teams each will play from March to November 2025 in a traditional group stage system. The twelve group winners will receive direct tickets to the final stage.

The twelve second-placed teams and four best third-place finishers of UEFA Nations League groups that finished below second place in the European qualification round, will participate in mini-tournaments.

Round 2: mini-tournaments in March 2026 will consist of one-legged semi-finals and finals. Four winners will receive tickets to the 2026 World Cup.

AFC (Asia): 8 spots + 1 place in intercontinental playoffs.

CAF (Africa): 9 spots + 1 place in intercontinental playoffs.

CONCACAF (North and Central America): 3 tournament hosts + 3 spots + 2 places in intercontinental playoffs.

CONMEBOL (South America): 6 spots + 1 place in intercontinental playoffs.

OFC (Oceania): 1 spot + 1 place in intercontinental playoffs.

Intercontinental playoffs: 2 spots.

2026 World Cup Final Tournament

The 2026 World Cup will be the first in history to feature 48 national teams. There will be twelve groups of four teams each. The top two from each group and eight best third-placed teams advance to the round of 16.

Matches of the 23rd World Cup will take place in 16 cities. In Canada — Toronto and Vancouver, Mexico — Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey, USA — Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle.

The opening match of the World Cup will take place on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, and the final match will be held in New York on July 19.

Final Tournament Schedule for the 2026 World Cup