The Ukrainian women's youth national team has returned from Bosnia and Herzegovina after participating in the first qualifying round of Euro-2026 (WU-19) in Group L, where their opponents included hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as San Marino and Romania.

Head coach Oleg Bortnyk shared his impressions about the team's performance on the official website of the UAF. Although they did not secure first place, they were the best among those finishing second in their groups and also improved their ranking:

— When the final whistle blew in the last match against Romania, it became clear that a draw (0:0) would give them first place based on additional criteria. It was very disappointing for the girls, who did not hide their disappointment as we had more scoring opportunities.

But fairness prevailed because the Ukrainian team ended up being the best among those finishing second in their groups. And there was a celebration on our street! Because it would have been unfair if we hadn't qualified for the elite division.

— Pre-tournament schedules indicated that San Marino would be significantly weaker than other participants. After our victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina (2:0) and Romania's win over San Marino (6:0), it was surprising to see the absence of five leading players in the second round match, even though we needed a big score against an underdog...

— There is an explanation for this. In the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which took place under difficult weather conditions, there were many unnecessary falls. All our leaders received yellow cards, and if they had not avoided warnings in the game against San Marino, we would have missed key players in the decisive match against Romania. Therefore, we made adjustments to the lineup. While it cannot be said that the risk fully paid off since we did not defeat Romania, on the other hand, we kept our goal clean and were ultimately rewarded with promotion to Group A.

— In March your players will participate in the second qualifying round of Euro-2026, but now in Group A. Should we expect a strengthening of the squad?

— On December 11, the draw for our next opponents will take place. Of course, they will be stronger and we need to be prepared for that. As for changes, there will be some but minimal. The Ukrainian team in Bosnia and Herzegovina played with an optimal lineup. So let's hope that the girls won't stop at what they've achieved, continue progressing, which would facilitate a strengthening of competition for starting spots.

EURO-2026 (WU-19). First Qualifying Round. Group L

November 26, 2025

Bosnia and Herzegovina — Ukraine — 0:2

Romania — San Marino — 6:0

November 29, 2025

Ukraine — San Marino — 5:0

Romania — Bosnia and Herzegovina — 2:1

December 2, 2025

Ukraine — Romania — 0:0

San Marino — Bosnia and Herzegovina — 0:10

Final Standings

It should be noted that Bosnia and Herzegovina, as the host nation automatically qualifying for the final tournament of the European Championship, was allowed to play official matches within this stage.

The draw for the second round of Euro-2026 (WU-19) will take place on December 11. Matches in this phase will run until April 22, 2026. The seven teams that qualify from Group A will join Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final stage of the tournament, which will be held from June 27 to July 10.