Qualifying for 2014/15 Under-19 finals starts

Fifty-two teams hoping to earn a place in next summer's UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Greece will begin their campaigns over the next few weeks as the qualifying round commences.

With six-time winners Spain given a bye to the elite round, Group 13 is the first section to kick off, in Lithuania this week. Holders Germany are in Group 2 which starts on Thursday, while Portugal – runners-up to the Germans in the 2014 final in Hungary – wait until next month to see action.

Road to Greece
• The qualifying round runs from 7 October to 18 November with mini-tournaments played in the October and November international windows.

• The top two in each section along with the third-placed nation with the best record against the leading pair will join Spain in the 28-team elite round from 23–31 March 2015.

• The seven elite round group winners then proceed to the finals together with hosts Greece next July.

• Full competition details can be found in the 2014/15 competition regulations.

2014/15 qualifying round draw
Group 1 (10–15 October): Belgium, England, Luxembourg*, Belarus

Group 2 (9–14 October): Austria, Germany, Latvia*, Kazakhstan

Group 3 (7–12 October): Turkey, Croatia*, Iceland, Estonia

Group 4 (10–15 November): Slovakia, Hungary*, Slovenia, Azerbaijan

Group 5 (9–14 October): Russia, Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, Northern Ireland*

Group 6 (13–18 November): Republic of Ireland*, Switzerland, Malta, Gibraltar

Group 7 (12–17 November): Denmark, Portugal*, Albania, Wales

Group 8 (12–17 November): Ukraine, Israel*, Sweden, Bulgaria

Group 9 (10–15 October): Italy, Serbia*, Armenia, San Marino

Group 10 (9–14 October): Netherlands, Poland*, Andorra, Moldova

Group 11 (8–13 October): Romania, Georgia*, Cyprus, Montenegro

Group 12 (8–13 October): Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Liechtenstein, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*

Group 13 (7–12 October): Norway, Scotland, Lithuania*, Finland

*Hosts

Bye to elite round: Spain

Bye to finals: Greece (hosts)