From October 14 to 20, the Ukrainian women's under-17 team (WU-17) will participate in the first qualifying round of the 2024 European Championship in the German city of Duisburg. Their opponents, besides the hosts, will be teams from Romania and Austria.

Head coach of the Ukrainian women's team, Serhiy Sapronov, commented on the official website of the UAF about what he expects from the matches in Germany:

— We arrived in Duisburg via Warsaw and Düsseldorf, where we have the opportunity to conduct a four-day training camp.

— Do you have all the players you wanted in the squad?

— Yes. After the April Development Tournament hosted by Romania, positions that needed strengthening were identified. That's why we invited seven newcomers — Svitlana Sahno, Anna Avramenko, Karolina Ruban, Mariia Osadcha, Daria Zaporozhets, Anastasiia Migal and Alessia Osypchuk. I hope I haven't made a mistake in my selection.

— What can you say about the opponents?

— We have enough information about our competitors. Of course, the favorites are the hosts — Germany, but we plan to give them a fight in the first round. The next opponent is Romania, whom we beat at the April Development Tournament. Their lineup hasn't changed much. Our last opponent, Austria, tries to follow the same style as the hosts. The only thing my wards lack compared to their counterparts — playing experience. We will play with what we have.

— What results are you aiming for?

— I want them to show everything they can in every match. The minimum goal is to stay in Group A, as only games against strong national teams allow faster progress.

Ukrainian Women's Under-17 Team Roster

Goalkeepers: Svitlana Snihur («Veres» Rivne), Anna Kharchenko («Dynamo» Kyiv), Svitlana Sahno («Kolos» Kovalivka).

Defenders: Alina Savka («Vorskla» Poltava), Elizaveta Maslovska («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Mariia Ignatenko, Diana Tkachuk (both — «Ladomir» Volodymyr), Anna Babich, Sophia Vershnyak (both — «Yunost» Chernihiv).

Half-backs: Viktoriia Savkina, Zoria Gladun (both — «Ladomir» Volodymyr), Anastasiia Zhigadlo, Anna Avramenko (both — «Kryvbas» Kryvyi Rih), Mariia Osadcha («Sisters» Odesa), Anastasiia Migal (DVTK, Hungary), Alessia Osypchuk («Atalanta», Italy).

Forwards: Olena Martchenyuk («EMS-Podillya» Vinnytsia), Daria Zaporozhets («Dynamo» Kyiv), Sophia Kononova («Ladomir» Volodymyr), Karolina Ruban («Kryvbas» Kryvyi Rih).

Recall that the wards of Serhiy Sapronov qualified to Group A4 along with Germany, Romania and Austria. The mini-tournament will take place from October 14 to 20 in the German city of Duisburg (stadiums Sportschule Wedau and Leichtathletikstadion BZA Wedau III).

UEFA-2024 (WU-17). First Qualifying Round. Group A

Group 4

October 14, 2023

Germany — Ukraine (14:00)

Austria — Romania (17:00)

October 17, 2023

Germany — Austria (14:00)

Romania — Ukraine (17:00)

October 20, 2023

Romania — Germany (14:00)

Ukraine — Austria (14:00)

Match times are in Kyiv time.

Group A

Group 1: Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Group 2: Poland, Ireland, Norway, Iceland.

Group 3: France, Slovenia, Italy, Scotland.

Group 4: Germany, Romania, Austria, Ukraine.

Group 5: Switzerland, Netherlands, Finland, Bulgaria.

Group 6: England, Belgium, Hungary, Northern Ireland.

Group 7: Sweden, Denmark, Belarus, Greece.

Group B

Group 1: Kosovo, North Macedonia, Georgia, Armenia.

Group 2: Serbia, Israel, Andorra, Latvia.

Group 3: Croatia, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Malta.

Group 4: Wales, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan, Albania.

Group 5: Slovakia, Montenegro, Lithuania.

Group 6: Estonia, Turkey, Moldova.

Teams from Group A that finish fourth in their groups will continue the season in Group B of the second round. The seeding for the second round will depend on which places teams take in their first-round groups. Sweden also participates despite having a direct qualification to the finals as hosts.

Teams from Group B compete for promotion to Group A across six groups. Winners and runners-up with the best record against the group winners and third-placed teams will move up to the higher division.