New names enjoy Elite experience

There will be a new look to the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals in Poland this summer with none of the eight countries who reached last year's tournament qualifying this time round.

Spanish success
Having missed out on the 2005 finals in Northern Ireland the most successful country at this level, Spain, led the way in the Elite round, defeating Sweden, Cyprus and Germany to win Group 7. Perhaps the strongest European side in youth football, the Spanish have won two of the previous four editions of this competition, in 2002 and 2004, and Ginés Meléndez has reasons to be confident his side can replicate that success in Poznan, not least as two years ago much of this squad reached the U17 final.

Scotland celebrations
Joining the Spanish and hosts Poland in the tournament are Scotland, who eliminated 2004 U17 champions France in winning Group 3 and qualifying for these finals for the first time since finishing fourth in what was then the European U18 Championship in 1986. The other five sides who have qualified this year have all been involved much more recently with Group 2 winners Turkey losing to Spain in the 2004 final in Switzerland while the previous year Portugal, who clinched first place in Group 5, were denied at the last by Italy. Both countries tasted glory at U18 level, however, with Portugal taking the title in 1994 and 1999 and the Turkish team triumphing in 1992.

Czechs return
The Czech Republic reached the final tournament of the first two U19 events, in 2002 and 2003 - finishing fourth in the latter - although they had not since qualified prior to prevailing in a three-way tussle with Switzerland and Ukraine to win Elite round Group 4. Group 6 winners Belgium, meanwhile, reached the finals in 2002 and 2004 and held off Serbia and Montenegro, Northern Ireland and 2005 runners-up England to clinch a strong Elite round section.

Polish pedigree
The eighth and last finals berth was taken by Group 1 hosts Austria, who defeated Slovenia, Russia and Hungary on home soil and will hope to at least match their 2003 run to the semi-finals. They are another nation to have played in the 2004 U17 event, along with Spain, Portugal and Turkey. Hosts Poland also have pedigree at youth level having defeated the Czechs in the final of the last U18 event five years ago and also reached the 2004 U19 final tournament in Switzerland.

Monday draw
The draw for the final tournament will take place in Poznan at 13.45CET on Monday 5 June and will be conducted by Milo Corcoran, a member of the UEFA Youth & Amateur Football Committee, and former Polish international Grzegorz Lato. The eight qualifiers will be split into two groups of four and will play each other once in a round-robin system on 18, 20 and 23 July. The top two in each section go on to the semi-finals on 26 July and the decider is three days later. In addition, the top six teams - the top three in each group - will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, to be held in Canada in 2007.

*Group hosts