2026/27 Under-19 EURO round 1 draw
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
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The groups have been set in both leagues for 2026/27 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying round 1 as the new competition system begins.
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The 2026/27 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying round 1 draw has set groups in both leagues that begin the road to the eight-team finals in Czechia as the new competition format gets under way.
In principle, the groups will be played from 23 to 31 March 2026, deciding promotion and relegation ahead of round 2 in the autumn, which will be followed by round 3 the following spring and the final tournament in Czechia in summer 2027.
2026/27 U19 EURO round 1 draw
League A
Group A1: Belgium, Slovenia, Sweden, Cyprus
Group A2: Italy, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland
Group A3: Czechia, Finland, Ukraine, Estonia
Group A4: Germany, Austria, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group A5: England, Croatia, Spain, Bulgaria
Group A6: Portugal, Serbia, Greece, Kazakhstan
Group A7: France, Switzerland, Hungary, Wales
League B
Group B1: Denmark, Romania, Andorra, Liechtenstein
Group B2: Türkiye, Kosovo, Armenia, Gibraltar
Group B3: Slovakia, Belarus, Latvia, San Marino
Group B4: Norway, Albania, Luxembourg, Malta
Group B5: Netherlands, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Moldova
Group B6: Northern Ireland, Lithuania, Azerbaijan
Group B7: Iceland, Montenegro, Georgia
*Mini-tournament hosts and dates will be agreed after the draw
The draw was made by Bjorn Vassallo, chairman of the UEFA Youth and Amateur Football Committee, and Andrej Kostić, part of the Montenegro team in the 2025 finals, who received the Respect Fair Play trophy on behalf of the squad.
COMPETITION SYSTEM
Fifty-four teams will take part in round 1, including Czechia, the team of the host association staging the final tournament. The teams were divided into two leagues:
a. League A: Seven groups of four teams (Groups A1 to A7)
b. League B: Five groups of four teams (Groups B1 to B5) and two groups of three teams (Groups B6 and B7)
LEAGUE AND OVERALL RANKINGS
The results of round 2 of the 2024/25 Under-17 championship, including promotions and relegations, determined the access list for round 1 of the 2026/27 Under-19 championship.
a. All round 2 teams ranked first, second and third in League A of the 2024/25 Under-17 championship remain in League A for round 1 of the 2026/27 Under-19 championship.
b. All round 2 fourth-placed teams from League A of the 2024/25 Under-17 championship are relegated to League B for round 1 of the 2026/27 Under-19 championship.
c. All round 2 group winners in League B of the 2024/25 Under-17 championship are promoted to League A for round 1 of the 2026/27 Under-19 championship.
d. All round 2 teams ranked second, third and fourth in League B of the 2024/25 Under-17 championship remain in League B for round 1 of the 2026/27 Under-19 championship.
The associations were allocated to draw pots based on this access list.
DRAW CONDITIONS
Prohibited pairings
Due to the composition of the leagues and draw pots, there were no prohibited team pairings for this draw.
DRAW PROCEDURE
The 28 associations ranked 1st to 28th enter League A and were drawn into seven groups of four teams each (Groups A1 to A7). The remaining 26 associations enter League B and were drawn into five groups of four teams (Groups B1 to B5) and two groups of three teams (Groups B6 and B7).
The participating associations were split into four pots per league as follows:
League A
Pot 1 (Ranked 1 to 7): France, England, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Czechia, Belgium
Pot 2 (Ranked 8 to 14): Republic of Ireland, Croatia, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Finland
Pot 3 (Ranked 15 to 21): Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, Israel, Greece, Hungary, Poland
Pot 4 (Ranked 22 to 28): Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Bulgaria, Scotland, Wales, Cyprus
League B
Pot 1 (Ranked 29 to 35): Denmark, Netherlands, Türkiye, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Norway
Pot 2 (Ranked 36 to 42): Belarus, Albania, Montenegro, Romania, Lithuania, Kosovo, Faroe Islands
Pot 3 (Ranked 43 to 48): Andorra, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Georgia, Armenia
Pot 4 (Ranked 50 to 54): Moldova, Malta, San Marino, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein
Procedure
The groups in League A were drawn first, starting from Pot 1 and ending with Pot 4. Each pot was emptied before moving to the next pot.
1. The associations in Pot 1 were drawn one after another and placed in the first position in Groups A1 to A7.
2. The associations in Pot 2 were drawn one after another and placed in the second position in Groups A1 to A7.
3. The associations in Pot 3 were drawn one after another and placed in the third position in Groups A1 to A7.
4. The associations in Pot 4 were drawn one after another and placed in the fourth position in Groups A1 to A7.
The same procedure was then applied for League B, with one difference:
• In the fourth draw phase, there were only five associations drawn, not seven (into fourth position in Groups B1 to B5).
QUALIFICATION FOR ROUND 2
On completion of round 1, the teams progress as follows:
a. All teams ranked first, second and third in League A remain in League A for round 2.
b. All fourth-placed teams in League A are relegated to League B for round 2.
c. All group winners in League B are promoted to League A for round 2.
d. All teams ranked second, third and fourth in League B remain in League B for round 2.
Each league is composed of seven groups. No teams that played each other in round 1 will meet again in round 2. Teams that played in three-team groups in round 1 are drawn into four-team groups for round 2.