2026 Under-19 EURO: Meet the contenders

The 2026 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Wales runs from 28 June to 11 July.

Hosts Wales are joined by the seven elite round winners, with the draw made at Wrexham University on Thursday 16 April. The top two in each section progress to the semi-finals.

We introduce the eight contenders for a competition that will also act as UEFA's qualifier for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Five teams will join co-hosts Azerbaijan in representing UEFA.

Group A

• Spain beat Germany 6-5 after extra time in the 2025 semi-finals. Spain trailed 2-1 going into added time but then led 3-2 before Germany equalised with an own goal, with both teams also leading at different stages of extra time.
• This is the third year running that Denmark and Spain have met in the group stage. Spain won 2-1 in 2024 and 1-0 in 2025.
• Two years ago at the U17 EURO in Cyprus, involving the same age cohort, Denmark beat Wales 2-0 in the group phase.
• Wales lost 3-0 to Germany in a November friendly in Denbigh. At the same venue a few days later Germany also beat Japan 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, and will meet both Denmark and Spain at Central Park in this group.

Wales (hosts)

Qualified as hosts
Results in 2025/26: 2-1 h vs Austria (06/09), 1-3 h vs Belgium (09/09), 2-5 n vs Switzerland (08/10), 2-0 n vs Netherlands (11/10), 0-7 n vs England (14/10), 3-2 h vs Japan (12/11), 1-1 h vs United States (15/11), 0-3 h vs Germany (18/11), 0-4 n vs United States (28/03)
Top scorer: Mannie Barton 3
2024/25: Elite round
Previous best: First final tournament

• Making their U19 finals debut under Chris Gunter (capped 100 times by Wales), but this age group qualified by right for the 2024 U17 EURO in Cyprus.

Denmark

Qualifying round: Group 10 winners (played in Switzerland)
6-0 vs San Marino, 0-1 vs Sweden, 7-0 vs Switzerland
Elite round: Group 4 winners (played in Czechia)
0-0 vs Belgium, 3-0 vs Latvia, 2-1 vs Czechia
Top scorers: Jacob Ambæk, Olti Hyseni, Sofus Johannesen, William Martin, Valdemar Møller, Hjalte Boe Rasmussen 2
2024/25: Group stage
Previous best: Group stage (2024, 2025)

• Have now qualified three years in a row, having not previously reached the finals since the last of the U18 EURO tournaments in 2001.

Germany

Qualifying round: Group 12 winners (played in Norway)
7-0 vs Armenia, 5-0 vs Kosovo, 2-1 vs Norway
Elite round: Group 1 winners (played in Germany)
2-2 vs Sweden, 1-0 vs Greece, 3-2 vs Austria
Top scorer: Francis Onyeka 8
2024/25: Semi-finals
Previous best: Winners x 2 (2008, 2014)

• Onkeya was the top scorer across qualifying.

Spain

Qualifying round: Bye as top seeds
Elite round: Group 7 winners (played in Spain)
4-0 vs Slovenia, 4-0 vs Finland, 3-0 vs Netherlands
Top scorer: Hugo López 4
2024/25: Runners-up
Previous best: Winners x 9 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2024)

• Qualified for a record 16th time and aiming to add to their unmatched nine titles since the reclassification to U19 in 2001/02 (the next best is France on three). Spain knocked out holders Netherlands in qualifying to avenge their final defeat last year in Romania.

Group B

• Croatia beat Serbia 4-1 in the qualifying round. Croatia also defeated them 3-0 in the 2012 group stage and drew 0-0 with Italy in 2010.
• Ukraine overcame Italy 3-2 in the 2024 group stage and 1-0 in 2004.
• Serbia beat Ukraine 1-0 in the 2024 U17 EURO. At U19 level, the pair drew 1-1 in the 2014 group stage, after Ukraine had won 3-1 in the 2009 semis on their way to the title as hosts.

Croatia

Qualifying round: Group 6 winners (played in Croatia)
2-0 vs Georgia, 8-0 vs Gibraltar, 4-1 vs Serbia
Elite round: Group 3 winners (played in Croatia)
4-1 vs Switzerland, 1-0 vs Norway, 1-1 vs France
Top scorer: Luka Vrzić 3
2024/25: Elite round
Previous best: Semi-finals (2010)

• First qualification since 2016.

Serbia

Qualifying round: Group 6 runners-up (played in Croatia)
4-0 vs Gibraltar, 3-1 vs Georgia, 1-4 vs Croatia
Elite round: Group 2 winners (played in Portugal)
2-0 vs England, 1-1 vs Portugal, 1-0 vs Poland
Top scorer: Mihajlo Cvetković 3
2024/25: Elite round
Previous best: Winners x 1 (2013)

• Only their second qualification since 2014, when their semi-final appearance earned a place in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which Serbia won.

Italy

Qualifying round: Group 9 winners (played in Italy)
8-0 vs Moldova, 0-0 vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1-0 vs Poland
Elite round: Group 6 winners (played in Italy)
3-0 vs Hungary, 3-0 vs Slovakia, 1-1 vs Türkiye
Top scorers: Alessandro Ciardi, Federico Coletta, Jamal Iddrissou, Mattia Mosconi 2
2024/25: Elite round
Previous best: Winners x 2 (2003, 2023)

• This age group won the 2024 U17 EURO title in Cyprus with much of the squad featuring in qualifying – including Coletta, who scored in the Limassol final against Portugal, and Team of the Tournament members Massimo Pessina and Mattia Liberali.

Ukraine

Qualifying round: Group 5 winners (played in Albania)
3-0 vs Albania, 3-0 vs Montenegro, 3-0 vs Slovakia
Elite round: Group 5 winners (played in Romania)
1-0 vs Northern Ireland, 3-0 vs Kazakhstan, 1-1 vs Romania
Top scorer: Oleksandr Kamenskyi 4
2024/25: Qualifying round
Previous best: Winners x 1 (2009)

• As well as their U19 win as hosts in 2009, Ukraine were semi-finalists in 2018 – with a generation that went on to lift the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup – and 2024.