The head coach of Ukraine's youth national team (players born in 2007 or later), Dmitry Mykhaylenko, spoke about the team's readiness for the Euro-2026 (U-19) qualification round.

In just two days, Ukraine's U-19 national team will begin its participation in the Euro-2026 qualification round. The blue and yellow team's opponents at this stage of the competition will be Albania, Montenegro, and Slovakia.

Ahead of the tournament start, head coach Dmitry Mykhaylenko answered questions from the official website of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF).

— Mr. Dmitry, what is the mood before the official matches, and did you manage to call up all the players?

— Everything is good, all the boys are eager to perform at their best. As for personnel potential, practically everyone we wanted to see is in the squad. Only Artem Stepanov was called up by the youth national team because he is currently more needed there, and Bogdan Olichenko suffered an injury, so we urgently need to find a replacement for him.

— How well have you studied your opponents?

— The information about the opponents in our coaching staff is sufficient. In our group, all teams are approximately of equal level.

— Can we call Ukraine the favorite of the quartet?

— On paper, it may look that way, but only the actual matches will show who is worth what. Football evens things out. If in the past our teams of different age categories easily passed some opponents, then now a lot has changed, competition has increased.

— Is it difficult to start the tournament with a match against the host (the Albanian team)?

— For me, this is not important. I believe in my players and our game plan. If the team plays at its true level, everything will be fine.

— The primary task of Ukraine's national team — to finish first or just advance to the next stage of the competition?

— Our goal is to qualify for the next round of the European Championship selection. And from which position, this is not so important.

Composition of Ukraine's youth national team U-19

Goalkeepers: Nazariy Domchak («Karpaty» Lviv), Yevhen Morozov («Zurich», Switzerland), Illia Voloshin («Real Madrid», Spain).

Defenders: Yuri Kokodyanyak («Karpaty» Lviv), Kiryl Dytiar, Yegor Shershuk (both — «Metalist» Kharkiv), Yaroslav Milokost, Mykhailo Reshetnykov, Nikita Kaluzhnyi (all — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Danylo Malov («Olimpia» Ljubljana, Slovenia), Kostiantyn Hubenko («Dynamo» Kyiv).

Half-backs: Bogdan Redushko («Dynamo» Kyiv), Oleksandr Kamenskyi («Kryvbas» Kryvyi Rih), Vladyslav Tytyunov («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Oleksandr Soroka («Gent», Belgium), Oleksandr Feshchenko («Obolon» Kyiv), Zakhary Baumann («Norwich City», England), Bogdan Olichenko («Bayern Munich», Germany).

Forwards: Bogdan Popov («Empoli», Italy), Yaroslav Boyko («Valencia», Spain), Dmytro Bogdanov («Union Berlin», Germany).

As a reminder, according to the draw results of the Euro-2026 qualification round (U-19), Ukraine's youth national team has been drawn into Group 5 along with Montenegro, Slovakia, and Albania.

The tournament in this group will take place in Albania from November 12 to 18.

For your attention — the schedule and locations of matches in our quartet.

UEFA Euro-2026 (U-19). Qualification Round. Group 5

November 12, 2025

Montenegro — Slovakia (Rrogocine, 13:00)

Ukraine — Albania (Durrës, 15:00)

November 15, 2025

Ukraine — Montenegro (Rrogocine, 13:00)

Slovakia — Albania (Durrës, 15:00)

November 18, 2025

Slovakia — Ukraine (Rrogocine, 15:00)

Albania — Montenegro (Durrës, 15:00)

Results of the draw for the Euro-2026 qualification round (U-19)

Group 1: Ireland, Netherlands, Cyprus, Kazakhstan.

Group 2: France, Hungary, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands.

Group 3: Turkey, Greece, Belarus, Liechtenstein.

Group 4: Israel, Austria, Slovenia, Luxembourg.

Group 5: Ukraine, Slovakia, Montenegro, Albania.

Group 6: Serbia, Croatia, Georgia, Gibraltar.

Group 7: Romania, Iceland, Finland, Andorra.

Group 8: England, Scotland, Latvia, Lithuania.

Group 9: Italy, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova.

Group 10: Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, San Marino.

Group 11: Portugal, Belgium, North Macedonia, Estonia.

Group 12: Norway, Germany, Armenia, Kosovo.

Group 13: Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Malta, Azerbaijan.

52 teams are divided into 13 groups of four participants each. The host nation's team for the final tournament, Wales, received an automatic bye to this competition, while Spain will enter the elite round qualification.

Based on the results of the qualification round, two best teams from each group and one best third-placed team advance to the elite round. It will take place in spring 2026 and seven groups will determine seven teams that will join Wales in the final stage of the UEFA Euro-2026 (U-19).