Competition format
Wednesday 13 July 2005
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Spain captain Antonio Adán lifts the trophy in 2006 (©UEFA)
The full current tournament regulations can be downloaded here. (Adobe Acrobat required)
The stars of just around the corner show their talents in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship - one of UEFA's stages for the headline-makers of the near future.
Eligibility dates
The competition was previously known as the UEFA European U18 Championship, but since the 2001/02 season it has been given U19 status because of changes in player eligibility dates.
Three-stage competition
Qualification for the final tournament involves two stages, namely the qualifying and Elite rounds which precede the eight-team final tournament. Traditionally, the qualifying round involving 13 groups of four teams is played between August and December, with the top two teams from each group, and the two best third-placed countries, progressing to the Elite round. The Elite round features seven groups of four teams playing around April and May, with the winner of each section joining the hosts for the final tournament.
Eight-team finals
The eight teams contesting the final tournament are split into two groups of four. The winners and runners-up advance to the semi-finals, with the winners of the two semi-finals qualifying for the final.
Game lengths
All games in the European U19 Championship are played 45 minutes per half. In knockout rounds, if scores are level at 90 minutes, extra time consists of two halves of 15 minutes each, followed by penalty kicks if required.
Regulation procedure
The regulations for the European U19 Championship are initially drawn up by the UEFA Administration before being submitted to the Youth & Amateur Football Committee. They are then forwarded upon that committee's approval to the UEFA Executive Committee for ratification.
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