Main coach of Ukraine's U-16 team Oleksandr Sitnik shared his thoughts on the future of the squad and talked about expectations from UEFA Development Tournament matches.

Tomorrow, May 4th, Ukraine's youth national team (players born in 2009 or later) will start their participation in the UEFA Development Tournament in Finland. In addition to the Ukrainians, teams from the host country, Greece, and Hungary will also take part.

On the eve of the tournament's start, main coach Oleksandr Sitnik answered questions from the official website of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF).

— Mr. Oleksandr, this is your first time working with the U-16 team. How did you get to know your players?

— Mostly through video, as there wasn't enough time for other introductions. This isn't a UEFA or FIFA date, so many clubs didn’t release their players, and several candidates were injured. So this camp will be more of a selection process. However, naturally, we want to start playing the core team since autumn is when we'll have our first qualification round for the European Championship.

But given all these circumstances, there's an opportunity to see more candidates for the squad. This is better than just observing their club games.

— Is another camp planned before qualification?

— Yes. It will take place in September. Then our coaching staff will have the opportunity to call up practically everyone they want, as this will be a UEFA and FIFA date. I hope that by then we'll have determined 90% of the team's composition for official matches.

— How much do you know about your opponents at the UEFA Development Tournament?

— We have information on Finland and Hungary teams. As for Greece, our first opponent, there's practically no information available. Perhaps their team hasn't been assembled yet or they haven’t released any information.

— What will be your goal at these matches?

— First and foremost, we represent our country, so we'll strive to perform as well as possible. The second task, which is no less important, — getting to know the boys better, familiarizing ourselves with their potential and psychological makeup, being fully prepared, and understanding who we're moving forward with. All of this — preparation for official matches.

Ukraine's U-16 squad

Goalkeepers: Oleksandr Stepanov («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Denis Stolyarenko («Legia», Poland).

Defenders: Yegor Onyshchuk («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Grigoriy Shapovalov, Nazar Smotrichkyi (both — LNZ Chernihiv), Bogdan Levytskyi («Ruh» Lviv), Markian Panchishyn («Karpaty» Lviv), Nazariy Rudzey («Borussia» D, Germany), Illia Yablonskyi («Sporting», Portugal).

Midfielders: Danylo Dyachok, Danylo Yermak (both — «Dynamo» Kyiv), Yevheniy Voloshko («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Yevheniy Horbatov («Oleksandria»), Yaroslav Harkyievych («Milan», Italy), Maxim Ivanov («Sampdoria», Italy), Yaroslav Kozushko («Slavia», Czech Republic), Ruslan Shveyts («Rayo Majadahonda», Spain).

Forwards: Volodymyr Kvikvinia («Dynamo» Kyiv), Denis Bida («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Kirill Serdyuk («Nuremberg», Germany), Vladyslav Zadorozhnyi («Slavia», Czech Republic), Andriy Dobrovolskyi («Eupen», Belgium).

UEFA Development Tournament Match Schedule

May 4. Finland — Hungary. 14:00

May 4. Greece — Ukraine. 18:30

May 6. Hungary — Greece. 13:00

May 6. Ukraine — Finland. 17:30

May 9. Ukraine — Hungary. 10:00

May 9. Finland — Greece. 15:00

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

Schedule for Ukraine's U-17 National Team

October 1, 2025. Montenegro — Ukraine 

October 4, 2025. Ukraine — Estonia

October 7, 2025. Ukraine — Italy  

Results of the Draw for Euro-2026 (U-17) First Round 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 of the final tournament, Estonia's national team, will also participate in the qualification.

Based on the results of the first round qualification, 14 group winners and 14 teams that finished second will proceed to the second round of League A. The remaining 26 teams will take part in the second round of League B.

Teams advancing to the second round of qualification in League A, in spring 2026, will compete for seven spots at Euro-2026 (U-17). Estonia as the host nation automatically received a bye. It's worth noting that this qualification round is also a qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Moreover, teams from both leagues of the second round qualification will compete to move up or down between leagues before the first round of Euro-2028 (U-19) qualification.