U21 draw pairs Azzurri with Austria

Consistent excellence
The Italians, European champions at this age group in five of the last seven tournaments, have been drawn in Group 5 where the Austrians and either Andorra - participating in this competition for the first time - or Iceland, who meet in the preliminary round, form the opposition. The 2006 finals hosts Portugal must finish ahead of Poland and Latvia to progress from Group 7, and in Group 9, 2002 champions the Czech Republic take on Belarus and Cyprus.

Two-time winners
Spain, who lifted the trophy in 1986 and 1998, are in Group 2 where Slovakia and Albania stand in their way, while 2004 runners-up Serbia and Montenegro are in Group 3 along with Lithuania and Malta or Georgia. Germany, who staged the 2004 showpiece and have also qualified for this summer's event, are in Group 10 with Romania and either Northern Ireland, back in the fray after sitting out the current championship, or Liechtenstein, competing at U21 level for the first time.

Strong sections
Group 8 features Switzerland, England and either Kazakhstan or Moldova, while Group 12 looks a particularly competitive section with Croatia, Ukraine and Bulgaria taking part. France face Slovenia and Scotland in Group 14, while Denmark, Scandinavian rivals Sweden and either Luxembourg or F.Y.R. Macedonia will hope to come out on top in Group 11.

Preliminary round
The coaches of the Swiss and Dutch senior national teams, Köbi Kuhn and Marco van Basten, conducted the draw in Montreux, with only the Faroes Islands of UEFA's 52 member associations absent. The 16 lowest-ranked nations were initially divided into eight matches for the preliminary round, with the winners of these eight ties, to be contested on a home-and-away basis, advancing to the group stage.

Match schedule
The 14 group winners progress to a play-off series from which seven countries will join the Netherlands in the final tournament. Matches in the preliminary round must be played before 15 July, while games in the group stage are scheduled for 16 August, 2/3 September and 5/6 September. After the 2007 finals, the tournament will take place every two years.