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This morning in Nyon, the draws were held to determine the paths for Italy’s youth national teams for this and next season. The U19s and U17s, in action from 25 to 31 March, will host the elite phase and the second round of the European qualifiers, respectively. During the same period, the U18s, fresh from their third-place finish at the World Cup in Qatar, will travel to Scotland for the first phase of next season’s European Championship qualifiers. Finally, next year, the U17s will fly to Armenia from 11 to 17 November for the first round.
“In March, we’ll be active on three fronts,” said Italy’s Men’s National Youth Teams Coordinator, Maurizio Viscidi. “The U19s will host the elite phase, which is an advantage. Compared to last season, we had a better draw, as we will face very respectable opponents (Slovakia, Türkiye, and Hungary) who are challenging but beatable. At the same time, the U17s, also hosting, went into the draw in the third pot and drew Iceland, Romania, and Portugal – the reigning European and world champions, albeit with the 2008 age group. The U19s can qualify for both the European Championship finals (25 May to 7 June in Estonia) and the World Cup. Securing one of the four best second-placed spots, which is the minimum target, would guarantee only a place in Qatar. Finally, the U18s, the only team playing away (25–31 March in Scotland), have a manageable group (Ireland, Poland, and Scotland) after impressively finishing third at the last World Cup in their age category.”
UEFA European Under-19 Championship Wales 2026 | Elite round (25–31 March)
The Under-19 National Team, 2023 European champions in Malta, finished first in Group 9 of the first phase of the European qualifiers, held from 12 to 18 November in Sicily, with seven points – ahead of Poland (six points), Moldova (three points), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (one point).
The Azzurrini have been drawn into Group 6, which they will host from 25 to 31 March, alongside Türkiye, who topped Group 3 with maximum points, and Slovakia and Hungary, the runners-up of Groups 5 and 2, respectively.
“We can’t let the draw fool us, especially after what happened last season, when we went into the first pot with maximum points and were drawn alongside France and Spain,” warned Alberto Bollini. “Even though we didn’t reach the finals, we didn’t lose a single game, and the campaign was excellent, giving players like Leoni, Ekhator, Fortini, Venturino, and many others the chance to showcase their talent. In the first round, we were concerned about having to build team cohesion in a very short time, but the players managed it. We’re starting again from there, paying close attention to Türkiye, who won all three qualifying matches, and Hungary, narrowly defeated by France. Tactically, all teams today know how to compete and can cause you problems. During this period, we’ll have the opportunity to expand our scouting, which wasn’t possible in November as we were between two World Cups. In the qualifying round, our current squad did an excellent job of making the most of the limited time to gel as a team and understand the on-field instructions. Now, we can broaden our selection, and that could be an advantage.”
Group 1: Germany, Austria, Greece, Sweden
Group 2: England, Portugal, Poland, Serbia
Group 3: Croatia, France, Norway, Switzerland
Group 4: Czechia, Denmark, Belgium, Latvia
Group 5: Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland
Group 6: ITALY, Türkiye, Slovakia, Hungary
Group 7: Spain, Netherlands, Finland, Slovenia
The seven group winners will advance to Wales for the European Championship finals, scheduled from 28 June to 11 July. The semi-finalists, along with the winner of the play-off between the two third-placed teams, will qualify for the Under-20 World Cup, set to take place in 2027 in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
UEFA European Under-19 Championship Czechia 2027 | Round 1 (25–31 March)
The Under-18 National Team, fresh from their historic bronze medal at the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, went into the first pot in League A thanks to their fourth-place position in the UEFA ranking, behind France, England, and Portugal, but ahead of Germany, Czechia, and Belgium. The Azzurrini have been drawn into Group A2, alongside their peers from Ireland, Poland, and Scotland, which will host the mini-tournament from 25 to 31 March.
“This is a particularly challenging group, because we will face two Anglo-Saxon teams, Ireland and Scotland, as well as Poland, who have troubled everyone with their 3-4-2-1 formation,” said Massimiliano Favo. The Irish also performed well at the last World Cup in Qatar, reaching the round of 16 (Switzerland 3–1 Ireland, 18 November). Scotland, meanwhile, were promoted from League B to League A and will have the advantage of playing at home. However, we mustn’t forget that this team earned a podium finish at the last World Cup in their category. We respect everyone and fear no one, as always. Our goal is to do the best we can.”
League A
Group A1: Belgium, Slovenia, Sweden, Cyprus
Group A2: ITALY, Ireland, Poland, Scotland
Group A3: Czechia, Finland, Ukraine, Estonia
Group A4: Germany, Austria, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group A5: England, Croatia, Spain, Bulgaria
Group A6: Portugal, Serbia, Greece, Kazakhstan
Group A7: France, Switzerland, Hungary, Wales
At the end of the first round, the bottom-placed team in each of the seven League A groups will be relegated to League B ahead of the second of the three qualifying phases, scheduled for next season.
UEFA European Under-17 Championship Estonia 2026 | Round 2 (25–31 March)
After finishing second in Group 1 of the first phase of the European qualifiers with six points, the Under-17 National Team, 2024 European champions in Cyprus, will face reigning champions Portugal, Iceland, and Romania in Group A2 of League A, to be held from 25 to 31 March in Italy.
“At this stage, the level is extremely high, so we need to focus on ourselves and our strengths,” said Daniele Franceschini. “We know Portugal, who are a very strong team. Iceland topped their group (Group 14 with maximum points), and Romania, traditionally, are always tough to face. We look to the future with confidence: we are Italy, and we always go onto the pitch aiming to win, no matter the opponents. In March, we will try to give everything to progress as far as possible. On top of that, we will be playing in Italy, which serves as extra motivation for everyone.”
League A
Group A1: Germany, France, Slovenia, North Macedonia
Group A2: Iceland, Portugal, ITALY, Romania
Group A3: Sweden, Montenegro, Greece, Norway
Group A4: Czechia, Kazakhstan, Austria, Denmark
Group A5: Belgium, Cyprus, Serbia, Switzerland
Group A6: Spain, Türkiye, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Group A7: Ireland, Slovakia, Croatia, Poland
The winners of the seven groups, along with the four best second-placed teams, will qualify for the Under-17 World Cup, scheduled for 2026 in Qatar. Only the group winners will advance to Estonia, the host country for the European Under-17 Championship finals, set to take place from 25 May to 7 June.
UEFA European Under-17 Championship Latvia 2027 | Round 1 (11–17 November)
In the first qualifying round for next season’s European Under-17 Championship, which will take place in the summer of 2027 in Latvia, Italy have been placed in Group 10 alongside France, Luxembourg, and Armenia. The latter will host the mini-tournament from 11 to 17 November in Yerevan.
Group 1: Ireland, Denmark, Wales, Estonia
Group 2: Germany, Northern Ireland, Lithuania, Azerbaijan
Group 3: Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Liechtenstein
Group 4: Sweden, Scotland, Finland, Albania
Group 5: Slovakia, Norway, Netherlands, Malta
Group 6: Portugal, Serbia, Bulgaria, Andorra
Group 7: Iceland, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gibraltar
Group 8: Czechia, Slovenia, Belarus, Moldova
Group 9: Montenegro, Poland, Ukraine, England
Group 10: France, ITALY, Luxembourg, Armenia
Group 11: Türkiye, North Macedonia, Hungary, San Marino
Group 12: Belgium, Croatia, Latvia, Kosovo
Group 13: Cyprus, Romania, Faroe Islands
Group 14: Kazakhstan, Austria, Georgia
The first-round mini-tournaments will take place from 1 July to 17 November. The winners of the 14 groups and all runners-up will progress to League A for the second phase, while the remaining 26 teams will enter League B.
The second round, to be played in spring 2027, will determine the seven nations that will join hosts Latvia in the finals of the European Championship. It will also serve as the qualifying route for the Under-17 World Cup, scheduled for 2027 in Qatar.