The Ukrainian youth team has begun targeted preparation for their opening match in the Euro 2027 (U-21) qualifying tournament — against Lithuania, which will take place on September 5 in the city of Druskininkai at LSK "Druskininkai Stadium".

Photo by Andriy Hrabovskyy

Currently, our team has traveled a long distance through the Polish cities of Hel and Warsaw before flying to Vilnius, from where they will travel by bus to Marijampolė. Here, on the local arena "Suduva," which is the home ground for the eponymous club, coach Unai Melgosa's wards are conducting their training sessions.

Photo by Andriy Hrabovskyy

Roster of the Ukrainian youth team

Goalkeepers: Vladyslav Krapivcov ("Girona," Spain), Illia Popovich ("Kisvarda," Hungary), Ivan Paholyuk ("Kolos" Kovalevka).

Defenders: Illia Krups'kyi ("Metalist 1925" Kharkiv), Vyacheslav Kulbachuk ("Debrecen," Hungary), Mykola Kyrichok ("Karpaty" Lviv), Andriy Kitela, Vitaliy Holod (both — "Ruh" Lviv), Mykola Ogarkov ("Oleksandria"), Serhiy Korniychuk ("Polesia" Zhytomyr), Daniil Vernattus ("Metalist" Kharkiv).

Midfielders: Oleh Fedor, Artur Shah (both — "Karpaty" Lviv), Roman Salenko ("Zorya" Luhansk), Ramik Gadzhiev ("Metalist 1925" Kharkiv), Timur Tutyurov ("Sunderland," England), Hennadii Sinchuk ("Montreal," Canada), Danylo Krevsun ("Borussia" Dortmund, Germany), Maksym Melnychenko ("Polesia" Zhytomyr), Artem Gusol ("Kolos" Kovalevka), Ivan Varfolomeev ("Lincoln City," England).

Forwards: Artem Stepanov ("Nuremberg," Germany), Matviy Ponomarenko ("Dynamo" Kyiv), Oleksandr Pyshchur ("Debrecen," Hungary).

Photo by Andriy Hrabovskyy

Schedule of Group N matches in the Euro 2027 (U-21) qualifying tournament

05.09.2025. Lithuania — Ukraine

09.09.2025. Lithuania — Hungary

09.09.2025. Turkey — Croatia

10.10.2025. Ukraine — Hungary

10.10.2025. Turkey — Lithuania  

14.10.2025. Croatia — Ukraine

14.10.2025. Hungary — Turkey

13.11.2025. Croatia — Lithuania

14.11.2025. Turkey — Ukraine

18.11.2025. Lithuania — Turkey  

18.11.2025. Hungary — Croatia

27.03.2026. Ukraine — Lithuania

31.03.2026. Hungary — Ukraine

31.03.2026. Croatia — Turkey

26.09.2026. Ukraine — Turkey

26.09.2026. Croatia — Hungary

01.10.2026. Hungary — Lithuania

02.10.2026. Ukraine — Croatia

06.10.2026. Turkey — Hungary

06.10.2026. Lithuania — Croatia

Draw for the Euro 2027 (U-21) qualifying tournament

Group A: Spain, Romania, Finland, Kosovo, Cyprus, San Marino.

Group B: Portugal, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Scotland, Azerbaijan, Gibraltar.

Group C: France, Switzerland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Estonia.

Group D: England, Ireland, Slovakia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Andorra.

Group E: Italy, Poland, Sweden, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Armenia.

Group F: Germany, Georgia, Greece, Northern Ireland, Latvia, Malta.

Group G: Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Group H: Ukraine, Croatia, Hungary, Turkey, Lithuania.

Group I: Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Belarus.

Nine groups were formed: six of them will have six teams each and three will have five.

In the final stage of Euro 2027 (U-21), sixteen teams will participate: Albania, Serbia, and another fourteen teams that qualify through the qualifying tournament results (nine group winners, the best team among second-place finishers, and four playoff winners).

Match windows for the group stage of the qualification

2025 year:

• March 17—25;
• June 2—10;
• September 1—9;
• October 6—14;
• November 10—18.

2026 year:

• March 23—31;
• September 21 — October 6;

Playoff: November 9—17, 2026.

Euro 2027 (U-21) is planned to be held at four stadiums in Albania (Tirana, Shkodër, Elbasan, Rrogozhina), and four in Serbia (Novi Sad, Loznica, Leskovac, Zaječar). The opening match will take place in Serbia, the final — in Albania. It should be noted that the results of Euro 2027 (U-21) will determine the participants for the Olympic Games 2028 from UEFA's zone.