Oleh Hолодюк's wards are participating in these competitions with the aim of preparing for the Euro-2026 (U-17) qualification. Today, the blue-and-yellow team met their Polish counterparts at the National Football Centre in the village of Butcha.

The first half was dominated by Poland's territorial and tactical superiority, although Ukraine fiercely counterattacked and even scored a goal midway through the 45-minute period. Unfortunately, the referee had earlier called a foul in the attacking zone.

After halftime, the situation on the field did not change. Polish youngsters continued to attack and scored their goal at the 71st minute mark. Following a shot by Zakhariya Zalevskyi, Dmitro Pozhar inadvertently passed the ball directly to Kasper Berkowski, who headed it into the net — 1:0.

This goal decided the outcome of the match — a narrow loss for Ukraine.

Nationals Tournament

Poland (U-16) — Ukraine (U-16) — 1:0 (0:0)

Goal: Berkowski (71).

Poland (U-16): Bohyniarzh, Chekuła, Korzynski, Wiganowski, Smiрака (Bartczak, 58), Kucharzki, Zalewskyi (Fal, 72), Stachow, Januska, Gliwa (Pijasta, 65), Berkowski.

Ukraine (U-16): Pozhar, Plamyns'kyi, Huriin (Rybak, 81), Garbar, Koval (Koschii, 46), Safonov (Guram, 46), Kuriachiy (Sarichev, 62), Gaponenko (Rudzey, 62), Trokhym (Shukalovich, 71), Gololobov (Levyts'kyi, 46), Yablons'kyi.

Warned: Stachow (30) — Trokhym (25), Guram (88).

Romania — Montenegro — 0:0

In the next match, Ukraine's U-16 team will face Romania on March 22 (kickoff at 12:00).

We add that from May 4 to 9, our youngsters will participate in the UEFA Development Tournament, where they will play against their peers from Greece, Finland (home team) and Hungary.

Recall that on December 5 in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the first round of Euro-2026 (U-17) qualification took place. According to its results, the Ukrainian youth national team ended up in Group 1, where they will face Italy, Montenegro and Estonia. The host country for this mini-tournament is Estonia.

Schedule of matches for the Ukraine 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 host nation for the final tournament, Estonia's national team, will also participate in the qualification round.

Based on the results of the first qualifying round, 14 group winners and 14 teams finishing second will advance to the second round in League A. The remaining 26 teams will compete in the second round in League B.

Teams advancing to the second round qualification in League A will compete for seven spots at the Euro-2026 (U-17) finals in spring of 2026. As hosts, Estonia automatically received a bye into the final tournament. It should be noted that this qualifying round is also a qualifier for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Moreover, teams from both leagues of the second qualification round will compete for promotion and relegation between leagues before the first round of Euro-2028 (U-19) qualification.