Today, October 1st, Ukraine's youth team will play their opening match in the first round of qualification for the UEFA European Championship 2026 (U-17) — against Montenegro.

Also in our group are teams from Italy and Estonia. Matches at this stage will take place in Estonian cities Tallinn and Rakvere. To advance to Group A of the second round, we need to secure first or second place in the quartet.

"It's clear that in our group, we can't overlook Italy. Moreover, this age group is rich with talent for Italians. It will be interesting to see ourselves against such a strong opponent. Italy — is the favorite of our quartet. Estonia — is a solid team that plays physical football. A slight advantage over this opponent exists because they are hosting the matches, and this provides additional motivation — to show themselves in front of their fans. With Montenegro, Ukraine's squad met at a tournament in Romania. This is a strong team with tall players who play somewhat vertical football. Our minimum goal is to get out of the group. And our maximum goal is to come out of the group first place, because this gives advantages during the draw in the future," —noted the head coach of Ukraine's U-17 team Oleksandr Sitnik yesterday.

The match against Montenegro will start at 3:30 PM Kyiv time in Tallinn. Live broadcast — on the YouTube channel of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF).

Roster of Ukraine's U-17 Youth Team

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

Defenders: Nazarii Smotrichnyy, Roman Shupik (both — LNZ Chernihiv), Markian Panchishyn ("Karpaty" Lviv), Denys Plyaminshchuk ("Hajduk", Croatia), Illia Yablonsky ("Sporting", Portugal), Oleh Pylypiuk ("Shakhtar" Donetsk).

Half-backs: Stanislav Shukalovichiv ("Shakhtar" Donetsk), Denys Hordiyev, Oleksandr Hoch (both — "Ruh" Lviv), Andriy Hamzik ("Bayern", Germany), Yaroslav Kozhushko ("Slavia", Czech Republic), Danylo Dyachok, Yaroslav Buravtsov (both — "Dynamo" Kyiv), Artem Rybak ("Barcelona", Spain).

Forwards: Volodymyr Kvikvinia ("Dynamo" Kyiv), Adam Guram ("Hajduk", Croatia), Oleh Dziurynets ("Ruh" Lviv), Kirill Serdyuk ("Stuttgart", Germany).

First Round of UEFA Euro 2026 (U-17) Qualification

Schedule for Group 1

October 1, 2025

Italy — Estonia (Rakvere, 8:30 AM)

Montenegro — Ukraine (Tallinn, 3:30 PM)

October 4, 2025

Italy — Montenegro (Tallinn, 8:30 AM)

Ukraine — Estonia (Rakvere, 3:30 PM)

October 7, 2025

Ukraine — Italy (Tallinn, 3:30 PM)

Estonia — Montenegro (Rakvere, 3:30 PM)

Group Composition

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 team, will also participate in qualification.

Based on the results of the first round of qualification, 14 group winners and 14 teams that secure second place will advance to the second round in League A. The remaining 26 teams will take part in the second round in League B.

Teams advancing to the second round of qualification in League A will compete in spring 2026 for seven spots at the final stage of UEFA Euro 2026 (U-17). Estonia, as the host of the tournament, has received an automatic berth. It's worth noting that this qualifying round is also a qualifier for the FIFA World Cup 2026 (U-17) in Qatar.

Moreover, teams from both leagues in the second round of qualification will compete for promotion and relegation between leagues before the first round of qualification for UEFA Euro 2028 (U-19).