2016/17 UEFA Regions' Cup qualifying draws
Thursday, December 3, 2015
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The Republic of Ireland's 2016/17 representatives will begin their title defence against sides from Italy, Slovenia and FYR Macedonia after the qualifying draws were made.
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The UEFA Regions' Cup, the world's top competition for amateur players, returns for 2016/17 with 38 nations discovering their fate in the preliminary and intermediate round draws.
Making the draw alongside UEFA Youth & Amateur Football Committee chairman Sándor Csányi was Mustafa Özer, coach of the 2015 Ankara team in the finals in the Republic of Ireland, who received the Respect Fair Play prize on behalf of the Turkish respresentatives.
• In all cases national qualifiers will be held to decide the representatives for each association. San Marino and Malta enter national amateur teams rather than regional selections.
*Mini-tournament hosts
Preliminary round draw
Group A (21-26 May): Scotland, Lithuania*, Estonia, Sweden
Group B (3-8 June): Kazakhstan, Greece, San Marino*, Wales
• Group winners progress to the intermediate round.
Intermediate round draw
Group 1 (5-9 October): France, Ukraine, Malta*, Winner preliminary round Group A
Group 2 (27-31 October): Spain, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Winner preliminary round Group B
Group 3 (20-24 September): Russia, Serbia, Romania*, England
Group 4 (24-28 September): Portugal, Poland*, Latvia, Belarus
Group 5 (14-18 November): Turkey, Northern Ireland, Moldova*, Switzerland
Group 6 (21-25 September): Czech Republic*, Germany, Israel, Slovakia
Group 7 (28 September-2 October): Italy*, Republic of Ireland (holders), Slovenia, FYR Macedonia
Group 8 (24-28 October): Hungary*, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Finland
Final tournament
The eight group winners of the intermediate round will qualify for the final tournament. In principle, the finals will take place in the last two weeks of June 2017, hosted by one of the countries that qualify.