The Ukrainian youth team that will participate in the World Cup U-20 has already arrived in Chile, where the tournament will take place. We remind you that at the group stage of the tournament, blue and yellow will have to play against teams from South Korea (September 27), Panama (September 30), and Paraguay (October 3).

The readiness of the team for the World Cup was reported by its head coach Dmitro Mykhaylenko on the official website of the UAF.

— Mr. Dmitry, you have a long coaching experience behind your back, but is this upcoming World Cup still your biggest test?

— There were important seasons at the club level as well, but if we talk about the status of the competitions, then yes, that's exactly what it is. This is a World Cup with a national team, and that says it all.

— Are you nervous?

— Not yet, because before leaving for the tournament there were many organizational issues to deal with, and we didn't have time for that. We were away from the players. Now that we've arrived in Chile and I see the boys' eyes, their mindset and motivation, a little bit of nervousness appears but not more than that.

— From the lineup it's clear that you couldn't get all the strongest...

— That's right.

— Why is that?

— It doesn't make sense to name surnames now, I'll just say that some players were not released by their clubs because this isn't FIFA and UEFA regulations but also due to injuries. However, we haven't become weaker as a result of it. The team is highly motivated. The absence of certain performers can be compensated for with the strong qualities of others. It's important to make sure that the group is united and cohesive, since there are players who have been called up to this squad for the first time, and we need to help them adapt as quickly as possible.

— What's your team's plan before the start of the tournament?

— Our first stop is in Chile's capital, Santiago. Tonight we will conduct our first training session. On the 21st, we'll play a friendly match against Australia, another World Cup participant, and on the 23rd we'll move to Valparaiso where we'll hold two group stage matches. For the third round, we'll return to Santiago.

— What can you say about your opponents in the group stage?

— South Korea aims to play an intense vertical football, their players actively occupy the opponent's penalty area. They make a lot of flank passes and are very disciplined. In the last two tournaments, this team achieved high results. In 2019 they were runners-up (losing in the final to Ukraine), while in 2023 they secured fourth place.

Panama tries to demonstrate technical football, they don't rush and are well organized. On their continent, this team achieves good results.

As for the Paraguayans, they too are technical and at the same time effective in defense; the team is disciplined. They have naturalized Argentinians in their ranks, which adds strength to this squad. 

— Who's the favorite in our group?

— It's hard to say. This is youth football where one generation can be strong while another isn't as competitive. I think all opponents have roughly equal chances of advancing.

— Then who, in your opinion, is the main contender for victory in Chile?

— For some reason, it seems to me that South American teams will have an advantage. While we didn't account for certain key players, Argentina, Brazil or Colombia don't face such issues.

— What's our goal at the World Cup?

— We want to get out of the group stage at least. If this task proves within reach, we'll see what happens next.

Lineup of Ukraine's U-20 Team

Goalkeepers: 1. Stanislav Vaniyvskyi («Stal» Zhydachiv, Poland), 12. Vladyslav Krapivcov («Girona», Spain), 16. Markian Bakus (LNZ Chernihiv).

Defenders: 3. Kyrylo Dytgariy, 13. Daniel Vernattus (both — «Metalist» Kharkiv), 4. Mykola Kyrichok («Karpaty» Lviv), 5. Vladyslav Kisil («Ponferradina», Spain), 6. Maksym Melnychenko («Polissya» Zhytomyr), 17. Maksym Derkach («Tukums 2000», Latvia), 20. Oleksiy Gusyev («Kudryvka»).

Midfielders: 10. Hennadiy Synchuk («Montreal», Canada), 11. Danylo Krevsun («Borussia» Dortmund, Germany), 7. Artur Shah («Karpaty» Lviv),   18. Bohdan Budko (AZ, Netherlands), 8. Daniil Vashchenko («Oleksandria»), 21. Matvii Panchenko («Metalist 1925» Kharkiv), 14. Kristian Shevchenko («Watford», England), 2. Vitaliy Katrich («Ingulets» Petrove), 15. Yaroslav Karaman («Polissya» Zhytomyr).

Forwards: 9. Matvii Ponomarenko («Dynamo» Kyiv), 19. Oleksandr Pyshchur (ETO, Hungary).

In the night from September 21 to 22, blue and yellow will play a friendly match against another forum participant — Australia (kick-off at 00:00 Kyiv time).

The CS-2025 (U-20) will take place from September 27 to October 19 in five cities of Chile: Valparaiso, Santiago, Viña del Mar, Rancagua and Talca. Twenty-four teams from six confederations will participate in the forum. First, they will compete in six quadrants. The top two teams from each group, as well as four teams that finish third, will advance to the round of 16. Then it proceeds according to the usual scheme.

Group Lineups for CS-2025 (U-20) 

Group A: Chile, New Zealand, Japan, Egypt.

Group B: South Korea, Ukraine, Paraguay, Panama.

Group C: Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Spain.

Group D: Italy, Australia, Cuba, Argentina.

Group E: USA, New Caledonia, France, PAR.

Group F: Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Nigeria.

Schedule of Ukraine's U-20 Team Matches in Group B

September 27, 2025. South Korea — Ukraine (23:00) 

September 30, 2025. Panama — Ukraine (23:00) 

October 3, 2025. Ukraine — Paraguay (23:00)