On September 1, the Ukrainian U-17 national team will begin a training camp dedicated to preparing for the first qualifying round of Euro-2026. In Croatia, Ukraine will play in a tournament featuring teams from Qatar, South Korea, and the UAE. Moreover, all opponents will be represented by players who are one year older. Ahead of the camp, head coach of the blue-and-yellow team Oleksandr Sytnyk answered questions from the official website of the UAF.

— Mr. Oleksandr, will the squad for the Croatian training camp be close to the final one, or are there possible changes before the Euro qualifiers?

— Right now, we have called up 25 players for this gathering. We understand that this is the last stage of preparation before official matches, so we want to see as many candidates in action as possible. Additionally, there are some performers who are under observation by us. Some are currently injured but are still within our scouting radar. Therefore, changes to the squad are still possible.

— Are these mostly players from foreign clubs?

— No. There are also players from domestic teams. I won't specify right now; let them continue to work.

— What will the team aim for in matches against Qatar, South Korea, and the UAE?

— We have several tasks. Of course, we need to solidify our team's core right now. Additionally, we want to see how our players perform against opponents of a very high level. Also, we are already planning for matches that await us in the qualifiers.

— Is it an advantage for Ukraine's national team that their opponents at the Croatian tournament will be one year older?

— Of course. The decision to participate in these competitions was made very recently. Organizers approached us and offered to come to Croatia. We are grateful for this opportunity, as we get a chance to play against non-European national teams. This will be invaluable experience for our players that they won't receive in domestic competitions.

— Will you be playing with the cards on the table, or do you know something about these opponents?

— Our analytical team has already provided us with necessary information. However, our main goal is to build our game from which we will depart in the Euro qualifiers.

— Will results take precedence now?

— Results are always important. But first and foremost, we need to gather information about the players since some of them will be coming to the camp for the first time. We need to get closer acquainted with them, help the players find a common language on the field. We want to win, but most importantly, we want the boys to accept the demands of the coaching staff.

Composition of the Ukrainian U-17 National Team

Goalkeepers: Dmytro Pozhar ("Dynamo" Kyiv), Denis Stolyarenko ("Legia", Poland), Oleksandr Stepanov ("Shakhtar" Donetsk).

Defenders: Matviy Sorochinsky ("Dynamo" Kyiv), Nazar Smotrichky, Roman Shupik (both — LNZ Chernihiv), Bohdan Levytskyi ("Rukh" Lviv), Markian Panchishyn ("Karpaty" Lviv), Nazariy Rudzey ("Borussia" D, Germany), Illia Yablonskyi ("Sporting", Portugal), Denis Plyaminyskyi ("Hajduk", Croatia).

Midfielders: Yevheniy Voloshko, Semen Komon, Arseniy Safonov, Stanislav Shukalovich (all — "Shakhtar" Donetsk), Danylo Udovenko (LNZ Chernihiv), Denis Gordiyev ("Rukh" Lviv), Yaroslav Kozushko ("Slavia", Czech Republic), Yegor Koshty, Maxim Gololobov, Andriy Gamzik (all — "Bayern 04", Germany).

Forwards: Yaroslav Buravtsov ("Dynamo" Kyiv), Danylo Yaschenko  (LNZ Chernihiv), Adam Guram ("Hajduk", Croatia), Kirill Serdyuk ("Stuttgart", Germany).

Schedule of Matches for the Ukrainian U-17 National Team in Croatia

03.09.2025. Ukraine — Qatar U-18 (18:00)

06.09.2025. Ukraine — South Korea U-18 (16:00)

09.09.2025. Ukraine — UAE U-18 (16:00)

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

Schedule of Matches for the Ukrainian U-17 National Team in the First Round of Euro-2026 Qualification

01.10.2025. Montenegro — Ukraine 

04.10.2025. Ukraine — Estonia

07.10.2025. Ukraine — Italy  

Results of the Draw for the First Round of Euro-2026 Qualification (U-17)

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 of qualification, 14 group winners and 14 teams that took second place will advance 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 will compete for seven spots at Euro-2026 (U-17) finals in spring 2026. Estonia, as the host of the tournament, received an automatic berth. It should be noted that this qualifying round in League A is also a qualifier for the CS-2026 (U-17) in Qatar.

Moreover, teams from both leagues of the second qualification round will compete to improve and drop between leagues before the first round of Euro-2028 (U-19) qualifiers.