France find out qualifying fate

Elite engagements
With Spain, champions in 2002 and 2004, 2003 winners Italy and this year's runners-up England qualifying automatically for the Elite round by virtue of their high UEFA coefficient ranking, the French are the only former champions involved in the opening round of the 2006/07 edition and will start in Group 8.

German opposition
Germany, the side with the highest coefficient ranking in the qualifying round draw, face Scotland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Estonia in Group 9, while Portugal's fine record in UEFA youth events will be tested by Norway, San Marino and Latvia in Group 11. There is a distinctly local favour to Group 12, which features neighbours Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro and former Soviet republics Lithuania and Moldova.

Local rivalries
Ukraine are in Group 1 alongside Greece, Kazakhstan and Bulgaria, with Israel, Slovenia, Switzerland and Liechtenstein making up Group 2. The two Irish teams are in Groups 3 and 4, with the Netherlands, Belarus and F.Y.R. Macedonia joining the Republic of Ireland in the former section while Northern Ireland encounter Belgium, Georgia and Romania in Group 4.

Hungarian hopes
Russia and Slovakia are the top-ranked sides in Group 5, which also contains Andorra and Albania, and Sweden, Poland, Faroe Islands and Iceland contest Group 6. Hungary will be hopeful of progress when they tackle Armenia, Cyprus and Azerbaijan in Group 7, while 2004 finalists Turkey take on the Czech Republic, Luxembourg and Wales in Group 9.

Fair Play award
Prior to the draw, Jim Boyce, chairman of UEFA's Youth and Amateur Football Committee, presented Serbia and Montenegro captain Borko Veselinović with the Fair Play award from the 2004/05 final tournament and, together with UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh, the pair then conducted the ceremony. The top two in each of the 12 sections, together with the best third-placed side overall, progress to the Elite round, with the final tournament to be held in Austria in summer 2007.

2006/07 UEFA European Under-19 Championship first round:

England, Spain and Portugal enter in Elite round along with top two from each group and the best third-placed team. The winners of each second-stage group, to be drawn after first round, then join hosts Austria at the final tournament.