Under-19 qualifying round kicks off road to Finland
Monday, October 2, 2017
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Debutants Kosovo will take part in the first match of 2017/18 qualifying as 52 teams – including holders England – begin their bids to reach next summer's finals in Finland.
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Kosovo are making their UEFA European Under-19 Championship debut and kick off the 2017/18 competition with a game against Austria as the qualifying round gets under way on Tuesday.
How the competition works
- Hosts Finland qualify automatically for next summer's final tournament
- Spain and Portugal are also given a bye to the elite round, to be played in spring 2018
- The remaining 52 entrants are split into 13 groups of four
- The top two in each group qualify for the elite round
- In the elite round, the seven group winners will join Finland in the July 2018 finals.
Qualifying round draw
Group 1 (8–14 November): Croatia*, Denmark, Latvia, San Marino
Group 2 (4–10 October): Germany, Poland*, Northern Ireland, Belarus
Group 3 (8–14 November): Czech Republic, Scotland, Luxembourg*, Armenia
Group 4 (4–10 October): Netherlands*, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta
Group 5 (8–14 November): Belgium, Switzerland, FYR Macedonia*, Liechtenstein
Group 6 (3–9 October): Austria*, Israel, Lithuania, Kosovo
Group 7 (4–10 October): Serbia, Republic of Ireland*, Azerbaijan, Cyprus
Group 8 (8–14 November): England, Bulgaria*, Iceland, Faroe Islands
Group 9 (4–10 October): Italy, Sweden*, Estonia, Moldova
Group 10 (8–14 November): Russia, Greece*, Romania, Gibraltar
Group 11 (8–14 November): France, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Andorra
Group 12 (4–10 October): Ukraine, Montenegro, Norway, Albania*
Group 13 (7–13 November): Turkey*, Slovakia, Wales, Kazakhstan
*Hosts
Bye to elite round: Spain, Portugal
Bye to final tournament: Finland (hosts)
Key dates
Elite round draw (Nyon): 6 December 2017
Elite round: spring 2018
Finals draw (Finland): spring 2018
Final tournament (Finland): 16–29 July 2018