U19s aim for Austria finals

The three previous winners of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship are among the 28 contenders battling for seven places in the 2007 finals as the Elite round kicks off today.

France in Israel
There are seven four-team mini-tournaments which will each produce one qualifier for July's finals in Austria, and in the first pool to begin 2005 winners France travel to Israel to take on the mini-tournament hosts, Slovakia and Poland - who lifted the final European U18 crown in 2001 and hosted last year's final tournament - in Group 6. Group 1 gets under way in the Republic of Ireland on 14 May when Hungary, Germany and Bulgaria will challenge the hosts for a place in the finals, and Group 3 kicks off the following day with hosts England vying with 2006 semi-finalists Czech Republic, Russia and the Netherlands.

Scotland ambition
Group 4 is the fourth section to begin, on 23 May, when hosts Scotland - beaten by Spain in the final last year - are reunited with two of the sides they eliminated in the group stage in Poland, Portugal and Turkey. Georgia complete the section. On 30 May holders Spain - who have won three of the first five U19 titles - travel to Norway where Iceland and Azerbaijan are also involved in Group 5, and Group 7 starts on the final day of the month with 2004 finals hosts Switzerland again having home advantage as Romania, Serbia and Denmark come to visit.

Finals draw
The seventh and final pool, Group 2, kicks off in Greece on 1 June when 2003 winners Italy, Croatia and Sweden will also contest the eighth and last place in the finals. Matches end on 6 June, with the top team in each group joining the final tournament hosts in this summer's event. The draw for the final tournament will be made in Linz on 13 June. The finals run from 16 to 27 July in Austria.

* Denotes hosts.