The qualification round for Euro 2026 (U-19) triumphantly concluded for the Ukraine youth team (players born in or after 2007), who won all three matches in their group with identical scores of 3-0, leaving no chance for their opponents, including teams from Albania (hosts of the tournament), Montenegro, and Slovakia.

Upon returning to Ukraine, head coach of the blue-and-yellow team, Dmitry Mykhaylenko, gave an interview on the official website of the UAF summarizing these matches.

— Mr. Dmitro,, how would you rate your players' performance in the qualification round for Euro 2026 using a five-point scale?

— I evaluate based on two criteria. So, regarding the result, I give the maximum score since we secured three victories and kept our goal clean throughout. As for the quality of play, there is still room for improvement in certain aspects of our game, so I would rate it a four.

— Your team didn't leave any chances for their opponents based on both gameplay and statistics. Did you expect more from Albania, Montenegro, and Slovakia?

— The most important thing is that we managed to contain our opponents. For example, the Albanians only had one shot on target out of three attempts. Montenegrins got two shots from within the penalty area. In the game against Slovakia, we focused on defense to prevent them from entering dangerous zones. We succeeded in doing so. And thanks to a strong attacking group, we found and capitalized on our opportunities in every match. Perhaps not always justly three goals were scored, but that's how it turned out.

All opponents were quite decent, but we knew how to play against each of them. When the team executes the game plan, half the battle is won. Thanks to good preparation, we confidently secured victories in all matches.  

— Who among your opponents caused you and your players the most trouble on the field?

— I don't want to offend anyone since we managed to prevent them from posing a serious threat. But, probably, it would be Slovakia's national team that shot at our goal more than others.  

— After each match of the national team, the "Man of the Match" is determined. Could you name your player after each game?

— I won't do that because we have leaders in every line. I don't want to diminish anyone's importance, which would be unfair. We have a group of performers who played at the level and any one of them could claim this title. We scored a lot and didn't concede once. So, I'll name our entire team as "Man of the Match" (laughs).

— The most goal-scoring player according to the "goal+assist" system was Bohdan Redushko. Is he now a leader in the squad?

— He performs standard situations well and has good field vision. He definitely is one of them. Bohdan means a lot to this team.

— Has a plan for the next training camp been made?

— We are waiting for the draw, which will take place in December, and we'll base our plans on that. Dates are set but we need to understand who we will play against during preparation for the second qualifying round.

Euro 2026 (U-19). Qualification Round. Group 5

November 12, 2025

Montenegro — Slovakia — 0:3

Ukraine — Albania — 3:0

November 15, 2025

Slovakia — Albania — 0:0

Ukraine — Montenegro — 3:0

November 18, 2025

Slovakia — Ukraine — 0:3

Albania — Montenegro — 0:1

Final Standings

As a reminder, 52 teams participated in the qualification round divided into 13 groups of four. The host nation for the finals, Wales' national team, automatically qualified for this tournament, and Spain's national team will enter competition at the elite round.

Based on the results of the qualification round, the top two teams from each group, as well as the best third-placed team among all groups, join Spain in the elite round. It will take place in spring 2026 and seven groups will determine seven national teams to join Wales in the finals of Euro 2026 (U-19).