The Ukrainian youth team has begun preparing for the October qualifiers for Euro-2027 (U-21). Under the guidance of Unai Melgosa, on October 10 in the Slovenian city of Maribor, they will play a home match against Hungary, and on October 14 in Veliki Gradec, they will face Croatia.

Ahead of these matches, the head coach shared his thoughts with the press service of the UAF.

— Mr. Melgosa, what are your main goals for the team in the October matches against Hungary and Croatia?

— We have many new players, so in a certain sense, this gathering will be similar to previous ones. We aim to lay the groundwork for our players to develop alongside the team. The competitive aspect is also important — we have two official matches and only three days to prepare.

— What was your approach during the formation of the squad? Which qualities of the players were decisive?

— Our selection was influenced by the World Cup U-20, which is taking place in the same dates as our matches. We formed the squad after the U-20 team finalized its list. As a result, many players who previously joined the youth national team will not be coming this time. At the same time, this opens up opportunities for new performers. We'll see how they fare at this level. It's an opportunity for them.

— Both October matches will again take place outside Ukraine. How does this affect preparation and the psychological state of the team?

— Unfortunately, we are already accustomed to all our games taking place abroad. This is a reality that we have lived with since the beginning, so there's no other option but to adapt.

— The team includes players who play abroad. What role do you think they should play in the national team?

— All performers are important — both those playing abroad and those competing in our league. Those who have moved to other countries have gone through a process of adaptation to new conditions, cultures, and demands. This helps them grow as professionals, and I hope they can share this experience with the national team.

— Are tactical changes expected compared to previous qualifying matches?

— There are always certain details in our game that need to be adapted for specific encounters. However, the main thing is to keep the team recognizable — we want to play actively and with initiative rather than just waiting for something to happen.

Photo by Andriy Garbowski

Squad of the Ukrainian youth team

Goalkeepers: Nazarii Domchak («Karpaty» Lviv), Ivan Pakholyuk («Kolos» Kovalivka), Illia Popovich («Kisvarda», Hungary).

Defenders: Mykhailo Protasieviich, Serhii Koronychuk (both — «Veres» Rivne), Illia Krupskyi («Metalist 1925» Kharkiv), Vladyslav Zakharchenko, Taras Mykhavko (both — «Dynamo» Kyiv), Vitalii Khodol, Bogdan Slubik (both — «Ruh» Lviv), Mihail Ogarkov («Oleksandria»).

Midfielders: Oleh Fedor («Karpaty» Lviv), Roman Salenko, Artem Slesar, Andrii Matveichuk (all — «Zorya» Luhansk), Ivan Losenko («Kudryvka»), Anton Glushchenko, Viktor Tsukanov (both — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Artem Gusol («Kolos» Kovalivka), Timur Tutyurov («Sunderland», England), Ivan Varfolomeev («Lincoln City», England), Yevhenii Pastukh (LNZ Chernihiv).

Forwards: Artem Stepanov («Nuremberg», Germany), Bohdan Popov («Empoli», Italy).

Euro-2027 (U-21). Qualifying tournament. Group H

05.09.2025

Lithuania — Ukraine — 0:4

09.09.2025

Lithuania — Hungary — 1:1

Turkey — Croatia — 1:1

Standings table

Schedule of Group H matches

10.10.2025 

Ukraine — Hungary

Turkey — Lithuania

14.10.2025

Croatia — Ukraine

Hungary — Turkey

13.11.2025

Croatia — Lithuania

14.11.2025

Turkey — Ukraine

18.11.2025

Lithuania — Turkey

Hungary — Croatia

27.03.2026

Ukraine — Lithuania

31.03.2026

Hungary — Ukraine

Croatia — Turkey

26.09.2026

Ukraine — Turkey

Croatia — Hungary

01.10.2026

Hungary — Lithuania

02.10.2026

Ukraine — Croatia

06.10.2026

Turkey — Hungary

Lithuania — Croatia