2023-09-26 17:03:20
The UEFA European Under-17 Championship will be played under a new format from the 2024/25 edition, with these changes allowing for the evolution of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship from the 2026/27 edition.
The UEFA Executive Committee approved the introduction of the following format at its meeting on June 28, 2023.
Key changes
From 2024/25, U17 EURO qualifying will consist of two stages called Round 1 and Round 2. All teams (including the host nation of the final tournament) will compete in these two rounds, with Round 2 now split in League A and League B. The final phase of the EURO U17 will now pit eight teams, including the host country. From 2026/27, the EURO U19 qualifiers will consist of three rounds, initially divided into League A and League B as determined in the second round of EURO U17 2024/25. The first round will be played in the spring of the year preceding the final phase, with Round 2 in the autumn and Round 3 in the spring before the final phase in the summer. Rounds 1 and 2 will be played in a format consisting of two leagues and will involve the host country of the final phase. Round 3 will resemble the current elite round with 28 teams participating. The final phase of the U17 EURO will continue to feature eight teams, including the host country. The 2024/25 and 2025/26 editions of the U19 EURO will be played according to the existing format: qualifying round, elite round and final phase.
U17 EURO format from 2024/25
Qualifications
Qualifying will be divided into two stages, now called Round 1 (in the fall) and Round 2 (in the spring). As is the case today, the two rounds will be played in the form of mini-tournaments in a single stadium.
Tour 1
All registered teams will participate in Round 1, including the final tournament host country (which is currently not participating in qualifying and will continue to automatically qualify for the final tournament under the new format). Participants will be divided into 14 groups of four or three teams, depending on the number of participating associations.
After Round 1, 28 teams will qualify for League A of Round 2, the others making up League B of the latter.
In future seasons, the results of Round 1 will be taken into account in the draw for Round 1 of the following edition.
The draw for Round 1 will take place in December of the previous year (e.g. in December 2023 for the first round of the 2024/25 edition).
Tour 2
In League A, the 28 teams will be divided into seven groups of four. The seven group winners will qualify to join the host country for the final tournament. If the hosts are among the seven group winners, the best runner-up will also qualify.
The seven teams placed fourth in the League A groups will be relegated to League B for the first qualifying round of the U19 EURO for the same age group (the teams relegated from League A in the second round of the EURO U17 2024/25 will therefore begin Round 1 of EURO U19 2026/27 in League B).
In League B, the teams will be divided into seven groups of four or three, depending on the number of participants. The seven group winners from League B will be promoted to League A for the first qualifying round of the U19 EURO for the same age group (teams promoted from League B in Round 2 of the U17 EURO 2024 /25 will start Round 1 of EURO U19 2026/27 in League A.)
The draw for Round 2 will take place in the month of December following Round 1 (for example in December 2024 for Round 2 of the 2024/25 edition).
Phase finale
The final phase will feature eight teams, who will initially compete in two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
The 2025 final tournament will serve as the European qualifying competition for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The host, dates and number of participating European teams will be announced in due course.
The U19UEFA EURO trophy
U19 EURO format from 2026/27
Qualifications
Qualifying will be divided into three rounds. For 2026/27, Round 1 will be played in spring 2026, Round 2 in fall 2026 and Round 3 in spring 2027, thus defining the format to follow for future seasons. As is the case today, the final phase will pit eight teams against each other. The host country will participate in the qualifications, even if it is automatically qualified for the final phase.
Tour 1
Teams will be split into League A (28 nations) and League B (remaining participants), with the league determined by the corresponding second qualifying round for the U17 EURO (for the 2026/27 U19 EURO, the leagues will be determined by Round 2 of EURO U17 2024/25).
The League A teams will be divided into seven groups of four. The fourth-placed teams will be relegated to League B for Round 2.
The League B teams will be divided into seven groups of four or three, depending on the number of participants. The group winners will be promoted to League A for Round 2.
The draw for Round 1 will take place in December of the previous year (for example in December 2025 for the first round of the 2026/27 edition).
Tour 2
The League A teams will be divided into seven groups of four. The teams ranked fourth will be eliminated.
The League B teams will be divided into seven groups of four or three, depending on the number of participants. The group winners will be promoted to League A for Round 3, the remaining teams will be eliminated.
The draw for Round 2 will take place after the end of Round 1 (e.g. June/July 2026 for Round 2 of the 2026/27 edition).
Tour 3
The format is similar to that of the current elite round, with 28 teams divided into seven groups of four. The seven group winners will qualify for the final tournament and join the host country.
The draw for Round 3 will take place after the end of Round 2 (for example in December 2026 for Round 3 of the 2026/27 edition).
Phase finale
The final phase will bring together, as is the case today, eight teams, who will initially compete in two groups of four, with the first two in each group qualifying for the semi-finals.
In even years, the final tournament will continue to serve as the European qualifying competition for the following year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup (for example, the 2028 U19 EURO will feature FIFA World Cup tickets). FIFA U-20 World 2029).
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