The road to the UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship in Lithuania next May begins on Friday when the qualifying round kicks off in Hungary.
How the competition works
- Of the 46 contenders, all teams are involved in the qualifying round except top seeds (and holders) Germany, given a bye to the elite round, and hosts Lithuania, who are excused until the finals.
- The 44 teams are split into 11 groups, all played as one-venue mini-tournaments to be completed by 24 October.
- The top two in each group and the third-placed side with the best record against the leading pair in their section accompany top seeds Germany into the 24-team elite round. Seven nations will eventually qualify for the finals to join Lithuania.
- The tournament also acts as UEFA’s qualifier for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay, with the three available berths going to the two finalists and the winner of a play-off between the two beaten semi-finalists.
Highlights: Germany beat Spain in final again
Qualiying round groups
Group 1 (10–16 October): Switzerland, Poland*, Ukraine, Faroe Islands
Group 2 (14–20 October): England, Scotland, Slovakia, Latvia*
Group 3 (2–8 October): Spain, Iceland, Azerbaijan*, Montenegro
Group 4 (24–30 September): Republic of Ireland, Greece, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina*
Group 5 (24–30 September): France, Denmark*, Wales, Kazakhstan
Group 6 (19–22 October): Sweden*, Russia, Croatia, Israel
Group 7 (1–7 October): Czech Republic, Netherlands, Turkey, Estonia*
Group 8 (22–28 September): Norway, Hungary*, Bulgaria, Moldova
Group 9 (23–29 September): Belgium, Serbia*, Belarus, FYR Macedonia
Group 10 (25 September–1 October): Austria, Portugal*, Northern Ireland, Georgia
Group 11 (23–29 October): Italy, Finland, Slovenia*, Malta
*Hosts
- Bye to elite round: Germany (holders)
- Bye to final tournament: Lithuania (hosts)
The dates
Elite round draw (Nyon): 24 November 2017
Elite round: spring 2018
Finals draw (Lithuania): April 2018
Final tournament (Lithuania): 9–21 May 2018
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