The Ukrainian youth team (players born in 2009 or later) returned home after a Croatian training camp, where they played three friendlies. Head coach of the blue-and-yellow team Oleksandr Sitnik spoke to the official website of the UAF about how this training went.

— Mr. Oleksandr, what is your summary of the previous training camp?

— As I said, we had several tasks at this camp. First and foremost, it was preparation for the qualification round of Euro-2026 (U-17). Also, selection continues in this age group. We needed to see new players, understand their current state, so that we could rely on them in official matches. So our work turned out to be informative. It was not bad that we faced opponents older than our footballers, who were physically stronger and faster. In such a situation, it's easier to see how the players make decisions on the field.  

— Initially, there was supposed to be a South Korea team at the matches, but Poland replaced them. Why?

— I will say right away that I would not call our matches tournament games, as there were close to 20 teams of 18 and 19 years old for whom this mini-camp was organized in Croatia. We received an invitation at the last moment (if I'm not mistaken, after Zambia's refusal) and we were the youngest team in what you could call a camp. There were just friendly matches there. The Koreans refused to play us due to our young age. So it was proposed that we play against Poland. Qatar did not want this either, but they left satisfied with their match.  

— Isn't seven goals too much for us to concede?

— Despite the fact that these were friendly matches, we took this into account. Again, there is information that needs to be properly analyzed and corrected. We gave all players a chance to play so as to have a full picture. If results had been our main focus, then the strategy would have been different, and the lineup would have been more balanced. Some with their playing time improved, others not quite. We see what problems we have in terms of gameplay and selection. Not everyone showed themselves at their best.

— At the camp you involved all players, but only nine of them participated in all matches. Will this be the core?

— The core is forming, but I would not rush to conclusions yet because at previous camps we were unable to involve key players due to various reasons. These are Rybak (Barcelona), Trokhym and Onyshchuk (Shakhtar), Huryn and Kvikviniya (Dynamo) — all main squad players. The situation with them is complicated, as it's still unknown who of the last four will recover from injuries in time for the qualification round. We also lost Voloshko due to a collarbone fracture at the last camp. We have another couple of weeks to finally decide on those we can rely on in Estonia.

— When does the preparation before the qualification start?

— September 27. We plan to arrive at the venue the next day, so we will have only three full training days.

International youth team tournament in Croatia

03.09.2025. Qatar (U-18) — Ukraine (U-17) — 2:1

06.09.2025. Ukraine (U-17) — Poland (U-18) — 2:2

09.09.2025. Ukraine (U-17) — UAE (U-18) — 0:3

As a reminder, according to the results of the first round draw for Euro-2026 (U-17), Ukraine's youth team ended up in Group 1 where they will face Italy, Montenegro and Estonia. The tournament host is Estonia.

Schedule of matches for Ukraine's 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)

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 tournament host, Estonia's national team, will also participate in the qualification.

Based on the results of the first round draw, 14 group winners and 14 second-placed teams will advance to the second round in League A. The remaining 26 teams will take part in the second round in League B.

Teams that make it into the second round qualification in League A will compete for seven spots at Euro-2026 (U-17) finals in spring 2026. Estonia, as tournament hosts, received an automatic bye. It should be noted that this qualifying round is also a qualifier for the CS-2026 (U-17) 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) qualifying.