U17 EURO qualifying: Road to England

The road to the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in England next May begins on Wednesday when the qualifying round kicks off in Finland.

How the competition works

• Of the 55 contenders, all teams including debutants Kosovo are involved in the qualifying round except top seeds Germany and Portugal, given a bye to the elite round, and hosts England, who are excused until the finals.
• The 52 teams are split into 13 groups, all played as one-venue mini-tournaments to be completed by 30 October.
• The top two in each group and the four third-placed sides with the best record against the leading pair in their section accompany Germany and Portugal into the 32-team elite round. Fifteen nations will eventually qualify for the finals to join England.

Qualifying round groups

Group 1 (26 October–1 November): Belgium, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Malta*

Group 2 (19–25 October): Spain (holders), Croatia, Albania*, Liechtenstein

Group 3 (13–19 October): Czech Republic*, Turkey, Israel, Armenia

Group 4 (27 September–3 October): Russia, Iceland, Finland*, Faroe Islands

Group 5 (18–24 October): Serbia*, Greece, Norway, Gibraltar

Group 6 (19–25 October): France, Slovenia, Belarus*, Kazakhstan

Group 7 (22–28 October): Scotland, Denmark, Estonia*, Andorra

Group 8 (2–8 October): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Moldova, FYR Macedonia*

Group 9 (10–16 October): Netherlands, Wales, Hungary*, Kosovo

Group 10 (23–29 October): Austria, Romania*, Lithuania, Luxembourg

Group 11 (10–16 October): Republic of Ireland, Ukraine, Bulgaria*, Azerbaijan

Group 12 (17–23 October): Poland, Sweden, Cyprus*, San Marino

Group 13 (24–30 October): Italy, Georgia*, Latvia, Montenegro

*hosts

Bye to elite round: Germany, Portugal

Bye to final tournament: England (hosts)

The dates

Elite round draw (Nyon): 6 December 2017
Elite round: spring 2018
Finals draw (England): April 2018
Final tournament (England): 4–20 May 2018