Viktor Mykita: "Football during war has become a form of rehabilitation for defenders and a foundation for community development."
Iya Andrushak: "We see positive dynamics in some components"
The head coach of Ukraine's women's national team, Yaia Andrushak, gave an exclusive interview to the UAFA press service and commented on the surprising defeat of her team against Iceland (0:1) in the qualifiers for the 2027 CHAMPIONS' SHIP and shared her thoughts regarding the upcoming match with the Spaniards. — What can you say about the game?
Main coach of the Ukrainian women's team Yana Andrushchak provided exclusive comments in an interview with the UAFA press service regarding their notable defeat against Iceland (0:1) within the qualifiers for the CH-2027 and shared her thoughts on the upcoming match against Spain.
— What can you say about the game? What was missing from the team?
— The match was tough. Weather conditions and the quality of the pitch played their part. There were a lot of physical confrontations, and it's always hard for us to play against such strong teams. And we just missed two goals (laughs).
— How do you overall evaluate the team's performance? Do you feel progress?
— The girls — great job. Of course, one can always say that we could have played better and capitalized on our chances. But it's too early to assess the team's performance and talk about progress that everyone would feel. We've only been working together for a second camp, and time is needed. However, we are already seeing positive dynamics in some components.
— What are the next plans for the team?
— The main thing — to recover and thoroughly prepare for the upcoming match.
— What can you say about the next opponent – Spain's team? What tasks do you set for your players for this match?
— The Spanish team is a top squad, what else to add! They will be playing at home in front of their fans after losing to England's team. I think the Spaniards will want to redeem themselves and will be active from the very first minute.
Group A3 Tournament Table
|
Teams |
I |
V |
N |
P |
M |
O |
|
1. England |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
9–1 |
9 |
|
2. Spain |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6–2 |
6 |
|
3. Iceland |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1–5 |
3 |
|
4. Ukraine |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2–10 |
0 |
Qualifiers for the CH-2027. Schedule and results of matches in Group A3
1st round. 03.03.2026
Spain — Iceland — 3:0
2nd round. 07.03.2026
England — Iceland — 2:0
3rd round. 14.04.2026
England — Spain — 1:0
4th round. 18.04.2026
Spain — Ukraine
Iceland — England
5th round. 05.06.2026
Ukraine — Iceland
Spain — England
6th round. 09.06.2026
England — Ukraine
Iceland — Spain
Women's CH-2027
The 2027 Women's World Cup will be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25. 29 direct slots out of 32 will be distributed as follows:
Europe – 11;
Asia – 6;
Africa – 4;
CONCACAF – 4;
South America – 3 (Brazil qualifies automatically with this quota);
Oceania – 1.
The three last teams will be determined in the play-off tournament involving 10 national teams. It will consist of two stages with the following quotas:
Europe – 1;
Asia – 2;
Africa – 2;
CONCACAF – 2;
South America – 2;
Oceania – 1.
The first stage of the play-off tournament will take place in October–December 2026, and the second one in February 2027.
European Qualifiers for CH-2027
The European qualification will take place in three stages. The group round matches will be held on March 3 and 7, April 14 and 18, June 5 and 9, 2026, in three leagues – A (16 teams), B (16) and C (21).
The starting position of each team in the leagues is determined based on the results of Nations League 2025. Ukraine will play in League A.
The top four teams from Group A of the League will qualify directly for the CH-2027.
The remaining quotas will be distributed through the play-off rounds in October–December 2026. In the first round, teams that occupy second and third places in League A will play against winners of six groups from League C and the best teams that occupy second place there. Eight winners advance to the second round.
The four last teams from League A and four winners from Group B will play against third and other teams from Group B respectively. Eight winners advance to the second round.
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