U17 Elite lineup confirmed

All of the previous winners of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship remain in contention for this season's title after progressing to the Elite round – where they will be joined by Sweden and Slovenia after a tie-breaker to decide the two best third-placed teams.

Champions through
Following the conclusion of the qualifying round, holders Spain and their predecessors Russia, France, Portugal and Switzerland had all advanced from their groups to the second stage, in which 28 teams will compete in the spring for seven places alongside 2004/05 winners Turkey in the Antalya-based finals from 4 to 16 May 2008. Among the other sides to finish in the top two of the 13 qualifying groups were last season's runners-up England and Belgium, who reached the 2006/07 semi-finals as hosts.

Fair play
There were still two berths left for the two third-placed teams with the best records of the 13 against the leading pair in their respective pools. Slovenia and Azerbaijan had been joint leaders of the third-placed sides before the last group concluded, one goal ahead of Poland, but the last of the qualifying mini-tournaments ended with Sweden holding exactly the same record as those two. That meant the three countries had to be split by their fair play conduct, and here Sweden and Slovenia prevailed over Azerbaijan to enter the draw. For Slovenia it is the first time they have progressed through a round in this competition since the switch from U16s in 2001/02.

Draw
The Elite round draw will be held from 17.45CET on 28 November, at the 9th UEFA Elite Youth Football Conference in Cannes, France. The 2008/09 qualifying round draw, with the final tournament to be played in Germany, will take place the following day from 17.15.

Qualified teams
Group 1: Switzerland, Greece
Group 2: Austria, Norway
Group 3: Slovakia, Scotland
Group 4: Spain (holders), Wales
Group 5: Republic of Ireland, Denmark
Group 6: Germany, Romania
Group 7: Israel, Serbia
Group 8: Croatia, Hungary
Group 9: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia
Group 10: Netherlands, France
Group 11: England, Portugal
Group 12: Northern Ireland, Belgium
Group 13: Italy, Czech Republic
Best third place: Slovenia (Group 5), Sweden (Group 6)