# 2027 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification
The qualification competition for the 2027 [UEFA European Under-17 Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-european-under-17-championship), played over the 2026/27 season, is a two-round process in which 54 UEFA member associations compete for seven places at the eight-team final tournament in Latvia, alongside the hosts. Round 2 also serves as UEFA's qualifier for the 2027 [FIFA U-17 World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-17-world-cup) in Qatar.[1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Entrants | 54 associations drawn into 14 one-venue mini-tournament groups of three or four teams[1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/) |
| Round 1 window | Matches must be played between 1 July and 17 November 2026; UEFA reported the first matches from 23 September[2](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-European-Under-17-Championship-2026/27/Article-25-Match-dates-and-fixtures-Online) • [1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/) |
| Progression | The 14 group winners and 14 runners-up advance to round 2 League A; the remaining 26 teams play round 2 League B[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/) |
| Round 2 deadlines | League A by 30 March 2027; League B by 30 June 2027, or 30 March for a group containing the final tournament host's team[2](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-European-Under-17-Championship-2026/27/Article-25-Match-dates-and-fixtures-Online) |
| Final tournament | Eight teams in Latvia, 24 May to 6 June 2027; seven places decided by round 2[1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/) |
| World Cup link | Round 2 acts as UEFA's qualifier for the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar[1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/) |
| Draw | Held 10 December 2025, conducted by Bjorn Vassallo, chairman of the UEFA Youth and Amateur Football Committee[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/) |
## Competition system
The 2026/27 edition is the third season under the two-league format introduced from 2024/25, in which both qualifying rounds are played as mini-tournaments and the final tournament hosts take part in qualifying.[4](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/0285-191289ee1ce4-ff8d3b82e87e-1000--new-u17-format-from-2024-25/) In round 1, the 54 teams were drawn into 12 groups of four and two groups of three, each playing a single-venue mini-tournament.[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/) The 14 group winners and 14 runners-up move to round 2 League A, while the remaining 26 teams contest round 2 League B.[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/)
Round 2 in spring 2027 decides the seven teams that join Latvia at the final tournament from 24 May to 6 June, and League A of round 2 also acts as UEFA's qualifier for the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.[1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/) Latvia plays in qualifying even though its place in the finals is assured as host.[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/)
## Round 1 groups and schedule
The draw took place on 10 December 2025 and set the 14 groups. The 14 mini-tournaments must be played between 1 July and 17 November 2026, with most scheduled for the 11–17 November window; Group 3 (Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Liechtenstein) was set for 12–18 October, Group 8 for 16–22 October, and Group 13 for 27 October–2 November.[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/) • [1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/)
The groups, with mini-tournament hosts in parentheses as later confirmed, were:[1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/)
- Group 1: [Republic of Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-of-ireland), Denmark (hosts), Wales, Estonia
- Group 2: Germany (hosts), [Northern Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-ireland), Lithuania, Azerbaijan
- Group 3: Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Liechtenstein (hosts)
- Group 4: Sweden, Scotland, Finland, Albania (hosts)
- Group 5: Slovakia, Norway, Netherlands, Malta (hosts)
- Group 6: Portugal (hosts), Serbia, Bulgaria, Andorra
- Group 7: Iceland, Greece, Bosnia and [Herzegovina](https://www.edgepedia.org/herzegovina) (hosts), Gibraltar
- Group 8: Czechia, Slovenia, Belarus, Moldova (hosts)
- Group 9: Montenegro, Poland, Ukraine, England (hosts)
- Group 10: France, Italy (holders), Luxembourg, Armenia (hosts)
- Group 11: Türkiye (hosts), North Macedonia, Hungary, San Marino
- Group 12: Belgium, Croatia (hosts), Latvia (finals hosts), Kosovo
- Group 13: Cyprus (hosts), Romania, Faroe Islands
- Group 14: Kazakhstan, Austria, Georgia (hosts)
**Seeding and draw conditions.** The participating associations were split into four pots by ranking, with Pot 1 containing Spain, Czechia, Belgium, Germany, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Türkiye, France, Portugal, Montenegro, Slovakia, Cyprus, and [Kazakhstan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kazakhstan).[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/) Teams from Spain and [Gibraltar](https://www.edgepedia.org/gibraltar), Kosovo and [Bosnia and Herzegovina](https://www.edgepedia.org/bosnia-and-herzegovina), and Kosovo and Serbia could not be drawn into the same group.[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/) The round 1 overall rankings of the 2025/26 edition were used for the draw, and after round 1 the rankings are recalculated, with results against fourth-placed teams excluded when ranking group winners, runners-up, and third-placed teams.[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/)
By late September 2026, Group 7 had been completed: Iceland and hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced to round 2 League A, while Greece and Gibraltar dropped into League B.[1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/)
## Mini-tournament format
Each round 1 group plays its matches at a single venue over a ten-day schedule set out in the competition regulations. In a four-team mini-tournament, the matchdays pair Team 1 against Team 4 and Team 3 against Team 2 on matchday 1, Team 1 against Team 3 and Team 2 against Team 4 on matchday 2, and Team 2 against Team 1 and Team 4 against Team 3 on matchday 3, with rest days between.[2](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-European-Under-17-Championship-2026/27/Article-25-Match-dates-and-fixtures-Online) In a three-team mini-tournament, the host association is Team 1 and plays the visiting teams on matchdays 1 and 3, with the two visitors meeting on matchday 2.[2](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-European-Under-17-Championship-2026/27/Article-25-Match-dates-and-fixtures-Online) After the draw, the teams in each group agree on match dates within the prescribed windows, and the host association decides if no agreement is reached.[2](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-European-Under-17-Championship-2026/27/Article-25-Match-dates-and-fixtures-Online)
## Link to the FIFA U-17 World Cup
Since the FIFA U-17 World Cup became an annual 48-team tournament from 2025, the U17 EURO has acted as Europe's qualifying competition for it.[4](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/0285-191289ee1ce4-ff8d3b82e87e-1000--new-u17-format-from-2024-25/) For this edition, round 2 in spring 2027 doubles as UEFA's qualifier for the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.[1](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/) The parallel women's competition follows the same pattern, with its round 2 League A deciding the seven teams joining hosts Finland at a final tournament from 9 to 22 May 2027 and acting as UEFA's qualifier for the 2027 [FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-17-womens-world-cup) in Morocco.[5](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/02a6-20ee040f23ec-15ee41f957fa-1000--2026-27-uefa-european-women-s-under-17-championship-round-1/)
## References
1. [2026/27 Under-17 EURO qualifying round 1 latest, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f73d1ac3963-0c8d829b0c33-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-qualifying-round-1-starts-23-september/)
2. [Article 25 Match dates and fixtures, Regulations of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship 2026/27, UEFA](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-European-Under-17-Championship-2026/27/Article-25-Match-dates-and-fixtures-Online)
3. [2026/27 Under-17 EURO round 1 draw, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/)
4. [New U17 EURO format from 2024/25 and U19 EURO format from 2026/27, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/0285-191289ee1ce4-ff8d3b82e87e-1000--new-u17-format-from-2024-25/)
5. [2026/27 UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship round 1 starts Monday, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/02a6-20ee040f23ec-15ee41f957fa-1000--2026-27-uefa-european-women-s-under-17-championship-round-1/)
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