Ukraine national football team

The Ukraine national football team (Ukrainian: збірна України з футболу) represents Ukraine in men's international football competitions and it is governed by the Ukrainian Association of Football, the governing body for football in Ukraine. Ukraine's home ground is the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv. The team has been a full member of UEFA and FIFA since 1992.

Ukraine
Nickname(s)Головна команда (The Main Team)
Жовто-Сині (The Yellow and Blue)
AssociationUkrainian Association of Football (UAF)
Українська Асоціація Футболу
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachAndriy Shevchenko[1]
CaptainAndriy Pyatov
Most capsAnatoliy Tymoshchuk (144)
Top scorerAndriy Shevchenko (48)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeUKR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 24 (10 December 2020)[2]
Highest11 (February 2007)
Lowest132 (September 1993)
First international
 Ukraine 1–3 Hungary 
(Uzhhorod, Ukraine; 29 April 1992)
Biggest win
 Ukraine 9–0 San Marino 
(Lviv, Ukraine; 6 September 2013)
Biggest defeat
 France 7–1 Ukraine 
(Saint-Denis, France; 7 October 2020)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2006)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2006)
European Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2012)
Best resultGroup stage (2012, 2016)

After Ukrainian Independence and the country's breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992. The team's biggest success on the world stage was reaching the quarter-finals in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which also marked the team's debut in the finals of a major championship.[3]

As the host nation, Ukraine automatically qualified for UEFA Euro 2012.[3] Four years later, Ukraine qualified for Euro 2016 via the play-off route, the first time qualifying for a UEFA European Championship via the qualifying process, as they finished in third place in their qualifying group. This marked the first time in Ukraine's five play-off appearances that it managed to win such a tie, previously having been unsuccessful in the play-off ties for the Euro 2000, 2002 World Cup, 2010 World Cup and 2014 World Cup.

Ukraine is seen as a specific case of being a successful youth football power in Europe and the world, yet fails to deliver the same taste at senior stage. The U-20 team of Ukraine has been the current reigning world champions at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, while the U-21 team had won silver medal in the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship; however in spite of this rich record in youth stage, the senior side didn't have the same level of achievement to look back at. While the Ukrainian senior side managed to reach the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup, the team failed to enter the knockout stages in Euro 2012 and Euro 2016, and have never returned to the World Cup since.

History

Pre-independence (1925–1935)

Officially the national team of Ukraine, the national team was formed in the early 1990s and shortly after was recognized internationally. It is not widely known, however, that Ukraine previously had a national team in 1925–1935.[4][5] Just like the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic had its own national team.

The earliest record of games it played can be traced back to August 1928. A championship among the national teams of the Soviet republics as well as the Moscow city team was planned to take place in Moscow. Just before the tournament started, the Ukraine national team played two exhibition games against the Red Sports Federation team from Uruguay, one in Kharkiv (lost 1–2) and the other in Moscow (won 3–2). At the All-Soviet tournament, Ukraine played three games and reached the final where it lost to Moscow 0–1. Along the way, Ukraine managed to defeat the national teams of Belarus and Transcaucasus.

In 1929, Ukraine beat the team of Lower Austria in an exhibition match in Kharkiv, recording a score of 4–1.

In 1931, Ukraine participated in another All-Soviet championship in Moscow. It played only one game, starting from the semifinals. Ukraine lost to the national team of Transcaucasus 0–3 and was eliminated.

In 1986, Ukraine became a winner of association football tournament of the Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR that was hosted in Ukraine when in final it beat the team of Uzbekistan (Uzbek SSR).

Official formation

Prior to Independence in 1991, Ukrainian players represented the Soviet Union national team. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Russia took the place of the Soviet Union national team in the qualifying tournament for the 1994 World Cup. The national team of Ukraine did not manage to enter the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (the draw for the qualification stage was held on 8 December 1991,[6] before Ukraine was admitted to FIFA). Meanwhile, some of the best Ukrainian players of the beginning of the 1990s (including Andrei Kanchelskis, Viktor Onopko, Sergei Yuran, Yuriy Nikiforov, Ilya Tsymbalar and Oleg Salenko) chose to play for Russia, as it was named the official successor of the Soviet Union.[7] At that time Vyacheslav Koloskov was the only top official from the former Soviet Union and later the Russia who served as a vice-president of UEFA in 1980–1996 and represented all of members of the Soviet Union and later the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Valeriy Lobanovskyi, was Head Coach of the National Team in 1979 and between 2001 and 2002

The Soviet Union's five-year UEFA coefficient, despite being earned in part by Ukrainian players (for example, in the final of the last successful event, Euro 1988, under the direction of Valery Lobanovsky, 7 out of starting 11 players were Ukrainians[8]), were transferred to the direct descendant of the Soviet national team – the Russia national team. As a result, a crisis was created for both the national team and the domestic league. When Ukraine returned to international football in late 1994, it did so as absolute beginners.

Another reason for the occurred harsh crisis in the Ukrainian football was lack of adequate funding of teams.[7] This is understandable in terms of the general economic crisis that has affected all of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries.[7] Yet even in contrast with Russia, the Ukrainian teams looked very poor.[7] However, there also was a reverse influx of some top class players.[7] Viktor Leonenko agreed on transfer from Dynamo Moscow to Dynamo Kyiv.[7] The Russian club did not want to release him, but Leonenko did not want to continue to play in Moscow.[7] During his first six months in Kyiv Viktor was forced to miss due to the FIFA disqualification.[7]

In the following years, the Ukrainian team improved, showcasing talents like Andriy Shevchenko, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Serhiy Rebrov and Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. Ukraine, however, failed to qualify for any major tournaments prior to 2006.

First official games (Prokopenko)

Soon after being accepted to FIFA and UEFA as a full member in 1992, Ukraine started its preparation for its first game. At first the head coach of the team was planned to be Valeriy Lobanovskyi, but at that time he had a current contract with the United Arab Emirates. Thus, the first manager of the team had to be chosen among members of a coaching council which consisted of Anatoliy Puzach (manager of Dynamo Kyiv), Yevhen Kucherevskyi (FC Dnipro), Yevhen Lemeshko (Torpedo Zaporizhzhia), Yukhym Shkolnykov (Bukovyna Chernivtsi) and Viktor Prokopenko (Chornomorets Odesa). Later, they were joined by a native of Donetsk Valeriy Yaremchenko (Shakhtar Donetsk). At the end a circle of candidates narrowed down only to three names: Puzach, Yaremchenko and Prokopenko, the latter who eventually became the head coach.

Viktor Prokopenko, the first manager of the national team

For the first game of the team it was agreed to play against Hungary on 22 April 1992 in Kyiv at the Republican Stadium. Due to financial issues, however, it was rearranged to 29 April and moved to the border with Hungary in Uzhhorod at the Avanhard Stadium. There was almost no preparation to the game as all "pioneers" gathered in Kyiv on 27 April and the next day flew out to Uzhhorod. At the same time, the opponent, while failing to qualify for the Euro 1992, was preparing for 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification. Ukraine at that time failed to be accepted for the qualification cycle.

Unlike the Hungarian squad, players of which played alongside before and were coached by the European Cup-winning coach Emerich Jenei, the Ukrainian team lost some its better and experienced players to the CIS national football team that was playing its own friendly against the England national football team in Moscow.[9] Among those were Andrei Kanchelskis, Volodymyr Lyutyi, Sergei Yuran, Viktor Onopko, Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko and Akhrik Tsveiba (the last two would later represent Ukraine). For the game against Hungary, only Ivan Hetsko and Oleh Luzhny had previous experience of playing at international level; other players had only played for the Soviet Olympic football team, while Serhiy Kovalets played for Ukraine at the Spartakiad of People of the USSR in 1986.

The first home game was lost 1–3 with Ivan Hetsko becoming the first goalscorer in the history of national team. During the summer of 1992 Prokopenko's team played two more away games on 27 June against the United States (0-0) and on 26 August against Hungary (1-2). After the second loss to Hungary Prokopenko resigned. Leading in its game against Hungary, Ukraine conceded two goals in the final 10 minutes.

To the scheduled against Belarus in Minsk in the fall, Ukraine had left with Prokopenko's assistants Mykola Pavlov and Leonid Tkachenko. At the Dinamo Stadium, Ukraine managed to salvage a game by tying one a piece with a goal from Yuriy Maksymov.

Euro 96 qualification (Bazylevych)

Ukraine, having already suffered from a lack of good players, lost two promising young players during the winter intermission : Stepan Betsa and Oleksiy Sasko, who perished in a car accident. Unable to secure a contract with Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukraine appointed another head coach, former forward of Dynamo Kyiv Oleh Bazylevych. He made his debut with the national team in the spring of 1993 in Odessa during a friendly against Israel. Their expected win was cancelled out in a 1–1 draw just 10 minutes before the end by Serhiy Konovalov. Less than a month later Ukraine finally celebrated its first victory in Vilnius in an away friendly against Lithuania that resulted in a 1–2 win (goals scored by Viktor Leonenko and Dmytro Mykhaylenko). During the summer they played one away game against Croatia, losing 3–1, with a goal scored Andriy Husin and one of the Croatian goals scored by Davor Šuker. In October 1993, Ukraine went on their first tour to the United States where they played three games against the US and Mexico. Their game against Mexico in San Diego, resulting in a 1–2 loss, was attended by over 50,000 spectators. During the winter break Ukraine was seeded in Group 4 of the UEFA Euro 1996 qualification.

In March 1994, Ukraine paid Israel a visit, but lost the game with a single penalty kick. Next there was a home game against Belarus where Ukraine finally won 3-1 after coming from behind at half-time. Just before their first official international competition game which was scheduled to be played against Lithuania at home, they played couple of away games against Bulgaria and the United Arab Emirates which both ended in a 1–1 draw. Another tour was scheduled right afterwards to Lithuania and Korea, the national coached by Kyivan Anatoliy Byshovets. The opening game on 7 September against Lithuania, considering their last encounter, was expected to end positively, which however resulted in a 0–2 defeat.[10] Both goals were scored within a couple of minutes in the middle of the second half by Hamburger SV striker Valdas Ivanauskas. The national team headed off to Korea without Bazylevych and his assistants whom were Mykola Pavlov and Vladimir Muntyan. Ukraine played two games and lost both. On 20 September 1994, Oleh Bazylevych was highly criticized at the federation's coaching meeting but was to be kept in position at the next meeting of the FFU Executive Committee a few days later.[11] However, the following day Bazylevych resigned accusing Bannikov of being tactless. On 24 September 1994, the Football Federation of Ukraine appointed Yozhef Sabo as an acting head coach until the end of the year.

Yozhef Sabo served as one of temporary managers until appointed of Lobanovsky

Following the change of coach, the national team level took a while to improve. Their next home game against Slovenia ended goalless.[12] After missing to obtain their first recent victory, Ukraine fell to bottom of the tournament table just above Estonian, whom they played their next home match against in mid-November, which they needed to win to keep any hopes of qualification alive. The Estonians, who were unable to field their best team, hoped to repeat the Slovenian effort a month earlier.[13] The game resulted in a 3–0 win. Serhiy Konovalov scored their first goal at competition level for the national team. Sabo left his post after the game.[14] and the FFU confirmed Anatoliy Konkov as the new head coach on 5 January 1995 .

Oleg Blokhin, head coach at the first World Cup participation in 2006

In order to save situation and prepare for upcoming games against Italy and Croatia, Konkov conducted training camp at a sports base in Stubenberg, Styria near the Castle (Schloss) Schielleiten from 16 to 23 March 1995. According to the new head coach the set program of training camp was accomplished successfully. Their away game to Croatia ended in a 0–4 loss in Zagreb, followed by a 0–2 defeat to three times World champions Italy at the Olympic Stadium (then Respublikanskiy).[15]

1998–2004: near misses

Ukraine participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, where the team was drawn into Group 9. Ukraine had improved their performance well, and surprised the qualification by taking the second place instead of the more-favored Portugal, only behind Germany, thus sent Ukraine to the first ever playoff, against Croatia. Unfortunately, Ukraine was eliminated 3–1 after aggregate by Croatia, and missed the chance to qualify for the first ever competitive tournament.

In UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, Ukraine, assigned in Group 4, once again managed to top ahead of another favorite, Russia, thanked for an important draw in Moscow, but still only qualified for playoff despite being undefeated, including two successful goalless draws to then-world champions France. Ukraine then fell to Slovenia 3–2 after aggregate as well, and lost the chance to qualify for the third time. Ukraine's defeat to Slovenia was more tragic, when Miran Pavlin canceled early Ukrainian lead at home and sealed Slovenia in instead.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification saw Ukraine in Group 5, and most of Ukraine's opponents were much weaker than Germany and France. Yet, Ukraine suffered a denting home loss to Poland in their opening account, and a number of draws had hampered Ukrainian hope to process. Ukraine eventually reached the playoff again, but this time could not manage to overcome the old foe, Germany, losing 5–2 on aggregate, and once again missed a major tournament debut.

The UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying was perhaps the most humiliating moment of Ukrainian football since its foundation. Assigned into Group 6, Ukraine's only major opponent at the time was a much stronger Spain. Ukraine had been in comfortable competitive place with Spain, having drawn the Spaniards at home. However, a surprising resurgence from the less known Greece had dented any hope for Ukraine, as Ukraine failed to reach playoff for the first time since UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying due to Greek resurgence. Greece would go on to conquer the first European title.

2006 FIFA World Cup

After an unsuccessful Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, Ukraine appointed Oleg Blokhin as the national team's head coach. Despite initial skepticism about his appointment due to his previous somewhat undistinguished coaching record and general public calls for a foreign coach; as well as Ukraine's difficult group position, being drawn with Turkey, Denmark and Greece, the latter had already won the Euro 2004 and caused upset on Ukraine in Euro 2004 qualification, Ukraine went on to qualify for their first-ever FIFA World Cup on 3 September 2005 after drawing 1–1 against Georgia in Tbilisi. In their first World Cup, in 2006, they were in the Group H together with Spain, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. After losing 0–4 in the first match against Spain, the Ukrainians beat their other two opponents to reach the knock-out stage.

In the round of 16, Ukraine played against the winner of Group G, Switzerland, who they beat on penalties. In the quarter-finals, they were beaten 0–3 by eventual champions Italy.

2006–2010: disappointment return

National football team of Ukraine, before the match with Bulgaria, "Vasil Levski" stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria, 14-12-2012

After a successful 2006 World Cup debut, Ukrainian enthusiasm increased for UEFA Euro 2008. Ukraine was assigned to Group B, only this time there was no playoff competition and thus, Ukraine had to seek one of the top two places. However, Ukraine failed to deliver the promised performance, partly because the team was unlucky to be drawn with 2006 World Cup finalists Italy and France; however, Ukraine had also performed terribly against weaker opponents like Scotland, Georgia and Lithuania, two shock losses and a draw away to these opponents had effectively ruined Ukraine's hope to qualify for the tournament, finishing in fourth place.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw Ukraine regain some good improvement. Drawn in the Group 6, two good draws to a strong Croatian side and more importantly, a home win over England, sending Ukraine to a playoff for the first time since 2004 Euro qualification. However, Greece, which had been eliminated by Ukraine in the qualifiers four years earlier, would take revenge. Despite successfully drawing goalless in Athens, Ukraine suffered a bitter home defeat to the Greeks in Donetsk, a reply to Ukraine's elimination of Greece back in Athens. This meant Ukraine lost its first ever playoff match at home, and failed to qualify for 2010 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA Euro 2012

Ukraine national football team in 2012

As co-hosts, Ukraine qualified automatically for Euro 2012,[3] marking their debut in the UEFA European Championship. In their opening game against Sweden, Ukraine won 2–1 in Kyiv. Despite the team's efforts, however, Ukraine was eliminated after a 0–2 loss to France and a 0–1 loss to England, both in Donetsk.

2014 World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H

The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was acceptable for Ukrainian squad. Being drawn with fellow Euro 2012 host Poland, together with England and the newcomer Montenegro, Ukraine had to face tough competitors. Despite facing struggles from the Montenegrin side, Ukraine was able to qualify for the playoff, thanked for two wins over Poland and two draws over England, and faced up France. Ukraine beat France at home 2–0, but Ukraine suffered a bitter 0–3 away loss to France, and failed to reach 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 10 6 4 0 31 4 +27 22 Qualification to 2014 FIFA World Cup 1–1 4–1 2–0 4–0 5–0
2  Ukraine 10 6 3 1 28 4 +24 21 Advance to second round 0–0 0–1 1–0 2–1 9–0
3  Montenegro 10 4 3 3 18 17 +1 15 1–1 0–4 2–2 2–5 3–0
4  Poland 10 3 4 3 18 12 +6 13 1–1 1–3 1–1 2–0 5–0
5  Moldova 10 3 2 5 12 17 5 11 0–5 0–0 0–1 1–1 3–0
6  San Marino 10 0 0 10 1 54 53 0 0–8 0–8 0–6 1–5 0–2
Source:

UEFA Euro 2016

Ukraine national football team in 2015

In the Euro 2016 qualifying round, Ukraine were drawn against Spain, Slovakia, Belarus, Macedonia and Luxembourg. The Zbirna was expected to qualify for the tournament as runners-up of the group behind Spain but, despite having won all their other matches, they finished third due to poor results against Spain and Slovakia. They therefore had to face Slovenia in the play-off route (the side to which they had succumbed at the same stage of the 2000 edition) ; they recorded a 2–0 win at Lviv before forging a 1–1 draw at the very end of the second game.

Ukraine convincingly won all of their preparation friendlies against Cyprus, Wales, Romania and Albania. At club level, FC Dnipro had recently reached the UEFA Europa League final in 2015, while Shakhtar Donetsk had progressed to the semi-finals one year later, as the Ukrainian clubs succeeded in sending one participant to the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League two times in a row. Having been drawn against world champions Germany, Slavic neighbors Poland and first-time Euro participants Northern Ireland, the Ukrainian team was expected to advance at least to the next round.

The tournament however, turned into a dreadful upset. Ukraine lost all of their three games, while also failing to score a single goal. Their first match resulted in a 2–0 loss to Germany, despite good resistance and great chances during an entertaining first half, they eventually came close to levelling the score but were caught on the counterattack at the very end of the game. This was followed by a second 2–0 loss to Northern Ireland, with a goal once again conceded in injury time. The Ukrainian media mainly criticized coach Mykhaylo Fomenko's perceived inadequate psychological preparation of the squad as much as predictable tactics which were judged as easy to break down. Ukrainians stars Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka's under-performance was also mentioned. Ukraine at this stage were the first team eliminated from the competition and lost their last game to Poland 1–0.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany 3 2 1 0 3 0 +3 7[lower-alpha 1] Advance to knockout phase
2  Poland 3 2 1 0 2 0 +2 7[lower-alpha 1]
3  Northern Ireland 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3
4  Ukraine 3 0 0 3 0 5 5 0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Tied on head-to-head result (Germany 0–0 Poland). Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group I

Ukraine started off with a home draw to eventual group leaders Iceland and an away draw to Turkey. This was followed by two home wins, 3–0 against Kosovo and 1–0 against Finland. Despite a 1–0 away loss to Croatia, they beat Finland 1–2 away and Turkey 2–0 at home. This was followed by a 2–0 away loss to Iceland and a 0–2 away win against Kosovo. Going to the last game, Ukraine stood a strong chance of qualifying for the tournament, but after a 0–2 home loss to Croatia, they failed to qualify for the play-offs for their first time since UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying. In their last game against Croatia, controversies rose when Ukrainian and Croatian supporters shared solidarity and chanted Russophobic chants as for the result of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iceland 10 7 1 2 16 7 +9 22 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup 1–0 2–0 2–0 3–2 2–0
2  Croatia 10 6 2 2 15 4 +11 20 Advance to second round 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–0
3  Ukraine 10 5 2 3 13 9 +4 17 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–0 3–0
4  Turkey 10 4 3 3 14 13 +1 15 0–3 1–0 2–2 2–0 2–0
5  Finland 10 2 3 5 9 13 4 9 1–0 0–1 1–2 2–2 1–1
6  Kosovo 10 0 1 9 3 24 21 1 1–2 0–6 0–2 1–4 0–1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

2018–19 UEFA Nations League

Ukraine was drawn with the Czech Republic and Slovakia in League B. They beat the Czech Republic 1–2 away and Slovakia 1–0 at home, before earning a promotion with a 1–0 home win to the Czech Republic, before ending with a heavy 4–1 away loss to Slovakia.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion[lower-alpha 1]
1  Ukraine (P) 4 3 0 1 5 5 0 9 Promotion to League A 1–0 1–0
2  Czech Republic 4 2 0 2 4 4 0 6 1–2 1–0
3  Slovakia 4 1 0 3 5 5 0 3 4–1 1–2
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted.
Notes:
  1. Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying – UEFA Group B

Ukraine were placed in a tough group with Euro 2016 title holders Portugal, and Serbia—a side with personnel playing for multiple prominent club teams. According to many sports analysts, Ukraine were tipped to finish third in the group. The first match proved to be the most difficult match—an away game against Portugal. With the well-known centre-back Yaroslav Rakytskiy absent due to his controversial move to Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg and the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the Portuguese lineup after an absent Nations League, the Portuguese were favoured to win by a comfortable margin. However, contrary to popular prediction, Andriy Shevchenko's side proved to be very stubborn. Although the Portuguese controlled the majority of the game's possession, they could not find the back of the net. A heroic showing from goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov as well as persistent marking of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese attack by Ukraine's defense earned Ukraine a valuable point in Lisbon. The match ended with a 0-0 scoreline.

The second game (4 days after the positive result in Portugal) was away to supposed minnows of the group, Luxembourg. However, this match proved to be an absolute nightmare for the Ukrainians. After struggling to come up with inventive attacks, a very lacklustre Ukrainian side found themselves down 1-0 thanks to a goal from David Turpel, aided by very disorganized defending on the part of the Ukrainians. Right before the end of the first half, Ukraine did find an equalizer through Viktor Tsyhankov. Ukraine struggled to create any meaningful opportunities in a stressful second half. However, with literally the last kick of the ball in stoppage time (from a freekick), Ukraine found themselves extremely lucky and unlikely 2-1 winners when Gerson Rodrigues of Luxembourg headed the ball into his own goal. Therefore, after the first two matchdays, Ukraine found themselves top of the group with 4 points after Portugal and Serbia played a 1-1 match in Lisbon on the same day.

Matchday 3 came with a stiff test—a home match against a well-rounded and versatile Serbian squad boasting many experienced and skillful players from multiple world-renowned clubs. While it was expected to be a reasonably close match, it could not have been more of a rout. What appeared to be a well balanced and close affair within the opening exchanges of the first half quickly changed when Viktor Tsyhankov scored the opening goal in the 26th minute of play. The second goal (also by Tsyhankov) was scored from a thunderous strike from long range less than two minutes later. Ukraine went on to win the match 5–0 with Roman Yaremchuk achieving his first ever international goal and Konoplyanka helping himself to two goals. At this point, with positive results against the two supposedly strongest opponents in the groups, Ukraine looked as though they could secure a top two finish and avoid the play-offs.

After another stiff contest with Luxembourg, Ukraine managed to secure a 1–0 victory only three days after their triumph over Serbia. The goal came in the 6th minute from Roman Yaremchuk. Two matches—away and home against Lithuania (winning 3-0 and 2-0 respectively) saw Ukraine with 16 points and in need of only a point against Fernando Santos's Portuguese side, who at this point were crowned UEFA Nations League Champions.

The match against Portugal was expected to be an interesting test for Shevchenko's men, who had not lost a single match in qualifying and had only conceded once. Ukraine started brightly with noticeably more attacking intent than in the previous meeting between these two teams. Indeed, their pressure paid off when Roman Yaremchuk scored from close range after an initial save from Rui Patricio on 6 minutes. In the 27th minute, Ukraine doubled their advantage with a Yarmolenko goal. After building this comfortable lead, Ukraine began to sit back and defend as they did in Lisbon on matchday one. Portugal was once again unable to crack Ukraine's defense. However, in the 72nd minute, Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded a penalty kick from a supposed hand-ball by Taras Stepanenko as he blocked the ball from a Portuguese shot. While VAR was not an option, replays showed that this was an incorrect call from the referee, as the ball was blocked by Stepanenko's leg, before making contact with his arm as it deflected into the air. This incident also resulted in a red card for Stepanenko. Thus, Ukraine had to play the rest of the match with ten men. Ronaldo scored from the spot, giving Portugal a glimmer of hope to rescue the game and earn a valid point in Kyiv. However, it wasn't to be Portugal's night. Ukraine won 2-1 and subsequently won the group.

The last match was played in Belgrade against Serbia. Because Ukraine had already qualified and won the group, Shevchenko decided to field a team with a few less experienced players. Serbia on the other hand, had to win for any hopes of automatic qualification. Serbia took the lead early through a Dušan Tadić penalty kick. After controlling the majority of the match after falling behind, Ukraine found an equaliser through the inevitable Yaremchuk. Serbia took control of the second half and restored their lead thanks to a beautiful Alexander Mitrović finish. Serbia continued to search for another goal with multiple chances. However, in the last minute of stoppage time, Yarmolenko sent a low cross across the Serbian goal which was received by Artem Biesiedin and finished into the bottom corner. The match ended 2-2 and Ukraine accomplished a successful qualification campaign without a single loss. With Portugal beating Luxembourg 2–0, Serbia's hopes of direct qualification were shot.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ukraine 8 6 2 0 17 4 +13 20 Qualify for final tournament 2–1 5–0 1–0 2–0
2  Portugal 8 5 2 1 22 6 +16 17 0–0 1–1 3–0 6–0
3  Serbia 8 4 2 2 17 17 0 14 Advance to play-offs via Nations League 2–2 2–4 3–2 4–1
4  Luxembourg 8 1 1 6 7 16 9 4 1–2 0–2 1–3 2–1
5  Lithuania 8 0 1 7 5 25 20 1 0–3 1–5 1–2 1–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

UEFA Euro 2020

2020–21 UEFA Nations League

Ukraine was drawn with the Switzerland, Spain, and Germany in League A. Although being in a difficult group, Ukraine however is believed to be a stubborn opponent, given how Ukraine impressed in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying. The Ukrainians started their campaign by overcoming Switzerland at home 2–1 to temporarily take the first place. However, Ukraine's next opponent, Spain, proved to be too strong, and Ukraine was unable to produce any significant threat and lost 0–4 to the Iberian giant. In October, Ukraine returned home to play two subsequent games against Germany and Spain, with nearly half of the main squad was infected with COVID-19 or injuries. The first match against Germany saw a disastrous performance of Heorhiy Bushchan, as his mistakes handled Germany a 2–1 win in Kyiv. With a demoralized squad, Ukraine had to face a powerful Spain who was impressing in the Nations League. However, despite significant absence of main key members due to injuries and COVID-19, Ukraine shocked by beating Spain for the first time with a 1–0 win to end Spain's 13 games undefeated streak. In November, Ukraine had two important games in order to survive in the League, and their first game against Germany away saw Ukraine got an early lead, but it was to be in vain when the Germans bounded back to win 3–1. Yet, as COVID-19 crisis in Ukraine worsened, eight players of the initial Ukrainian squad had been infected (including one positive SARS-CoV-2 test upon arrival to Lucerne), and as a result, the entire delegation was put into quarantine by the Department of Health of the Canton of Lucerne.[16] As for the result, their game against Switzerland away as originally scheduled, was cancelled, and the matter had been put into question. Ukraine faces relegation if the game is awarded 3–0 to Switzerland or if the result is decided by a drawing of lots and Switzerland gets a 1–0 victory. Eventually, UEFA decided that the result was awarded 3–0 to Switzerland, meaning that Ukraine had been officially relegated after just a season in League A.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1  Spain 6 3 2 1 13 3 +10 11 Qualification to Nations League Finals 6–0 1–0 4–0
2  Germany 6 2 3 1 10 13 3 9 1–1 3–3 3–1
3   Switzerland 6 1 3 2 9 8 +1 6[lower-alpha 1] 1–1 1–1 3–0[lower-alpha 2]
4  Ukraine (R) 6 2 0 4 5 13 8 6[lower-alpha 1] Relegation to League B 1–0 1–2 2–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(R) Relegated.
Notes:
  1. Tied on head-to-head points (3). Head-to-head goal difference: Switzerland +2, Ukraine −2.
  2. The Switzerland v Ukraine match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Switzerland after being cancelled as Ukraine were placed in quarantine prior to the match due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the team.

Stadiums

The most important matches of the Ukrainian national team are held in Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, also home of Dynamo Kyiv. New infrastructure and stadiums were built in preparation for Euro 2012, and other venues include stadiums in the cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Odesa. The alternative stadiums are: Metalist Stadium (Kharkiv), Arena Lviv (Lviv), Dnipro-Arena (Dnipro), and Chornomorets Stadium (Odessa).

During the Soviet time era (before 1991), only two stadiums in Ukraine were used in official games, the Olimpiysky NSC in Kyiv (known then as Republican Stadium) and the Lokomotiv Stadium in Simferopol.

Results and fixtures

The following matches were played or are scheduled to be played by the national team in the current or upcoming seasons.

2020

27 March 2020 Friendly France  postponed  Ukraine Paris, France
Report Stadium: Stade de France
31 March 2020 Friendly Poland  postponed  Ukraine Chorzów, Poland
Report Stadium: Silesian Stadium
26 May 2020 Friendly Ukraine  cancelled  Cyprus Kharkiv, Ukraine
Report Stadium: Metalist Stadium
2 June 2020 Friendly Ukraine  cancelled  Northern Ireland Kyiv, Ukraine
Report Stadium: NSK Olimpiyskiy
7 June 2020 Friendly Ukraine  cancelled  Israel Lviv, Ukraine
Report Stadium: Arena Lviv
3 September 2020 (2020-09-03) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A Ukraine  2–1   Switzerland Lviv, Ukraine
21:45 Yarmolenko  14'
Zinchenko  68'
Report Seferović  41' Stadium: Arena Lviv
Attendance: 0
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (Sweden)
6 September 2020 (2020-09-06) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A Spain  4–0  Ukraine Madrid, Spain
20:45 Ramos  3' (pen.), 29'
Fati  32'
F. Torres  84'
Report Stadium: Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Benoît Bastien (France)
7 October 2020 Friendly France  7–1  Ukraine Paris, France
Camavinga  9'
Giroud  24', 34'
Mykolenko  39' (o.g.)
Tolisso  65'
Mbappé  82'
Griezmann  89'
Report Tsyhankov  53' Stadium: Stade de France
Referee: Andris Treimanis (Latvia)
10 October 2020 (2020-10-10) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A Ukraine  1–2  Germany Kyiv, Ukraine
21:45 Malinovskyi  77' (pen.) Report Ginter  20'
Goretzka  49'
Stadium: NSK Olimpiyskiy
Attendance: 17,573[17]
Referee: Orel Grinfeld (Israel)
13 October 2020 (2020-10-13) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A Ukraine  1–0  Spain Kyiv, Ukraine
21:45 Tsyhankov  76' Report Stadium: NSK Olimpiyskiy
Referee: Paweł Gil (Poland)
11 November 2020 Friendly Poland  2–0  Ukraine Chorzów, Poland
20:45 Piątek  40'
Moder  63'
Report Stadium: Silesian Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (Austria)
14 November 2020 (2020-11-14) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A Germany  3–1  Ukraine Leipzig, Germany
20:45 Sané  23'
Werner  33', 64'
Report Yaremchuk  12' Stadium: Red Bull Arena
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)
17 November 2020 (2020-11-17) 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A Switzerland   3–0
(awarded)
 Ukraine Lucerne, Switzerland
Stadium: Swissporarena
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (Greece)

2021

24 March 2021 (2021-03-24) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification France  v  Ukraine France
20:45 Report
28 March 2021 (2021-03-28) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Ukraine  v  Finland Lviv, Ukraine
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report Stadium: Arena Lviv
31 March 2021 (2021-03-31) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Ukraine  v  Kazakhstan Lviv, Ukraine
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report Stadium: Arena Lviv
23 May 2021 (2021-05-23) Friendly Ukraine  v  Bahrain Ukraine
3 June 2021 (2021-06-03) Friendly Ukraine  v  Northern Ireland Ukraine
7 June 2021 (2021-06-07) Friendly Ukraine  v  Cyprus Ukraine
13 June 2021 (2021-06-13) UEFA Euro 2020 Netherlands  v  Ukraine Amsterdam, Netherlands
Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena
17 June 2021 (2021-06-17) UEFA Euro 2020 Ukraine  v  North Macedonia Bucharest, Romania
Stadium: Arena Națională
21 June 2021 (2021-06-21) UEFA Euro 2020 Ukraine  v  Austria Bucharest, Romania
Stadium: Arena Națională
1 September 2021 (2021-09-01) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Kazakhstan  v  Ukraine Kazakhstan
16:00 (20:00 UTC+6) Report
4 September 2021 (2021-09-04) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Ukraine  v  France Ukraine
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report
8 September 2021 (2021-09-08) Friendly Czech Republic  v  Ukraine Czech Republic
9 October 2021 (2021-10-09) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Finland  v  Ukraine Finland
18:00 (19:00 UTC+3) Report
12 October 2021 (2021-10-12) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Ukraine  v  Bosnia and Herzegovina Ukraine
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11) Friendly Ukraine  v  Bulgaria Ukraine
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Bosnia and Herzegovina  v  Ukraine Bosnia and Herzegovina
20:45 Report

Player records

Most capped players

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Andriy Shevchenko being honored by UEFA in 2011 for their 100th cap. They are the first and second most capped players in the history of Ukraine.
Andriy Shevchenko is the top scorer in the history of Ukraine with 48 goals.

As of 14 November 2020[lower-alpha 1]
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

# Player Period Caps Goals
1 Anatoliy Tymoshchuk 2000–2016 144 4
2 Andriy Shevchenko 1995–2012 111 48
3 Ruslan Rotan 2003–2018 100 8
4 Oleh Husyev 2003–2016 98 13
5 Andriy Pyatov 2007– 96 0
6 Andriy Yarmolenko 2009– 92 38
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi 1994–2012 92 0
8 Yevhen Konoplyanka 2010– 86 21
9 Serhiy Rebrov 1992–2006 75 15
10 Andriy Voronin 2002–2012 74 8

Top goalscorers

As of 14 November 2020

# Player Period Goals Caps Average
1 Andriy Shevchenko 1995–2012 48 111 0.43
2 Andriy Yarmolenko 2009– 38 92 0.41
3 Yevhen Konoplyanka 2010– 21 86 0.24
4 Serhiy Rebrov 1992–2006 15 75 0.2
5 Oleh Husyev 2003–2016 13 98 0.13
6 Serhiy Nazarenko 2003–2012 12 56 0.21
7 Yevhen Seleznyov 2008–2018 11 58 0.19
8 Andriy Vorobey 2000–2008 9 68 0.13
Andriy Husin 1993–2006 9 71 0.13
10 Tymerlan Huseynov 1993–1997 8 14 0.57
Artem Kravets 2011– 8 23 0.35
Artem Milevskyi 2006–2012 8 50 0.16
Andriy Voronin 2002–2012 8 74 0.11
Ruslan Rotan 2003–2018 8 100 0.08

Top goalkeepers

As of 14 November 2020

# Player Period Games Wins GA GAA
1 Andriy Pyatov 2007– 96 48 78 0.813
2 Oleksandr Shovkovskyi 1994–2012 92 38 80 0.87
3 Oleh Suslov 1994–1997 12 7 15 1.25
4 Vitaliy Reva 2001–2003 9 3 10 1.111
5 Andriy Dykan 2010–2012 8 5 11 1.375
Maksym Levytskyi 2000–2002 8 1 10 1.25
7 Dmytro Tyapushkin 1994–1995 7 1 11 1.571
8 Valeriy Vorobyov 1994–1999 6 3 2 0.333
Denys Boyko 2014– 6 3 6 1
Andriy Lunin 2018– 6 2 6 1

Captains

As of 14 November 2020[21]

# Player Period Captain Caps Total Caps
1 Andriy Shevchenko 1995–2012 58 111
2 Anatoliy Tymoshchuk 2000–2016 41 144
3 Oleh Luzhny 1992–2003 39 52
4 Ruslan Rotan 2003–2018 24 100
5 Andriy Pyatov 2007– 19 96
6 Yuriy Kalitvintsev 1995–1999 13 22
Oleksandr Holovko 1995–2004 13 58
8 Oleksandr Shovkovskyi 1994–2012 12 92
9 Oleksandr Kucher 2006–2017 8 57
10 Andriy Yarmolenko 2009– 7 92

Managers

Last updated on 14 November 2020.[22]

Manager Nation Ukraine career Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA Win % Qualifying cycle Final tour
Viktor Prokopenko 1992 3 0 1 2 2 5
Mykola Pavlov (caretaker) 1992 1 0 1 0 1 1
Oleh Bazylevych 1993–1994 11 4 3 4 13 14 36.36 1996
Mykola Pavlov (caretaker) 1994 2 0 0 2 0 3
Yozhef Sabo 1994 2 1 1 0 3 0 50 1996
Anatoliy Konkov 1995 7 3 0 4 8 13 42.86 1996
Yozhef Sabo 1996–1999 32 15 11 6 44 26 46.88 1998, 2000
Valeriy Lobanovskyi 2000–2001 18 6 7 5 20 20 33.33 2002
Leonid Buryak 2002–2003 19 5 6 8 18 23 26.32 2004
Oleg Blokhin 2003–2007 46 21 14 11 65 40 45.65 2006, 2008 2006
Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko 2008–2009 21 12 5 4 31 16 57.14 2010
Myron Markevych[23] 2010 4 3 1 0 9 3 75
Yuriy Kalytvyntsev (caretaker)[24] 2010–2011 8 1 5 2 10 13 12.5
Oleg Blokhin[25] 2011–2012 18 7 3 8 27 28 38.89 2014 2012
Andriy Bal (caretaker)[26] 2012 2 0 1 1 0 1 2014
Oleksandr Zavarov (caretaker) 2012 1 1 0 0 1 0 100
Mykhaylo Fomenko[27] 2012–2016 37 24 6 7 67 22 64.86 2014, 2016 2016
Andriy Shevchenko 2016– 40 21 9 10 56 45 52.5 2018, 2020

Coaching staff

Currently approved:[28]

Position Name
Head Coach Andriy Shevchenko
Assistant Coaches Mauro Tassotti
Andrea Maldera
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi
Goalkeeping Coach Pedro Luis Jaro
Fitness Coaches Vitaliy Kulyba
Andrea Azzalin
Observer Volodymyr Onyshchenko
Physiotherapist Andriy Shmorhun
Analyst Luigi Nocentini

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the UEFA Nations League cancelled match against   Switzerland on 17 November 2020.[29]
Players records are accurate as of 14 November 2020 after the match against Germany.[30][31]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
12 1GK Andriy Pyatov (Captain) (1984-06-28) 28 June 1984 96 0 Shakhtar Donetsk
23 1GK Andriy Lunin (1999-02-11) 11 February 1999 6 0 Real Madrid
1 1GK Yuriy Pankiv (1984-11-03) 3 November 1984 0 0 Oleksandriya

22 2DF Mykola Matviyenko (1996-05-02) 2 May 1996 30 0 Shakhtar Donetsk
4 2DF Serhiy Kryvtsov (1991-03-15) 15 March 1991 19 0 Shakhtar Donetsk
21 2DF Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (1997-03-21) 21 March 1997 5 0 Anderlecht
3 2DF Illya Zabarnyi (2002-09-01) 1 September 2002 4 0 Dynamo Kyiv
15 2DF Yukhym Konoplya (1999-08-26) 26 August 1999 3 0 Desna Chernihiv
5 2DF Yevhen Cheberko (1998-01-23) 23 January 1998 1 0 Osijek
20 2DF Valeriy Bondar (1999-02-27) 27 February 1999 1 0 Shakhtar Donetsk

6 3MF Taras Stepanenko (1989-08-08) 8 August 1989 59 3 Shakhtar Donetsk
17 3MF Oleksandr Zinchenko (1996-12-15) 15 December 1996 35 5 Manchester City
11 3MF Marlos (1988-06-07) 7 June 1988 20 1 Shakhtar Donetsk
19 3MF Oleksandr Zubkov (1996-08-03) 3 August 1996 5 0 Ferencváros
14 3MF Ihor Kharatin (1995-02-02) 2 February 1995 4 0 Ferencváros
16 3MF Serhiy Buletsa (1999-02-16) 16 February 1999 0 0 Dnipro-1
7 3MF Oleksandr Nazarenko (2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 0 0 Dnipro-1
18 3MF Heorhiy Sudakov (2002-09-01) 1 September 2002 0 0 Shakhtar Donetsk

9 4FW Roman Yaremchuk (1995-11-27) 27 November 1995 19 6 Gent
10 4FW Júnior Moraes (1987-04-04) 4 April 1987 8 0 Shakhtar Donetsk

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months.[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Dmytro Riznyk (1999-01-30) 30 January 1999 0 0 Vorskla Poltava v.   Switzerland, 17 November 2020 COV
GK Heorhiy Bushchan (1994-05-31) 31 May 1994 3 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 COV
GK Mykyta Shevchenko (1993-01-26) 26 January 1993 0 0 Zorya Luhansk v.  Spain, 13 October 2020
GK Oleksandr Shovkovskyi (1975-01-02) 2 January 1975 92 0 Retired v.  France, 7 October 2020
GK Denys Boyko (1988-01-29) 29 January 1988 6 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.   Switzerland, 3 September 2020 ALT

DF Eduard Sobol (1995-04-20) 20 April 1995 18 0 Club Brugge v.   Switzerland, 17 November 2020 COV
DF Oleksandr Karavayev (1992-06-02) 2 June 1992 27 1 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 COV
DF Vitaliy Mykolenko (1999-05-29) 29 May 1999 11 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 COV
DF Denys Popov (1999-02-17) 17 February 1999 0 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 COV
DF Oleksandr Tymchyk (1997-01-20) 20 January 1997 2 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 INJ
DF Viktor Korniyenko (1999-02-14) 14 February 1999 0 0 Shakhtar Donetsk v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 INJ
DF Ihor Plastun (1990-08-20) 20 August 1990 4 0 Gent v.  Spain, 13 October 2020
DF Serhiy Bolbat (1993-06-13) 13 June 1993 5 0 Shakhtar Donetsk v.  France, 7 October 2020 INJ
DF Oleksandr Syrota (2000-06-11) 11 June 2000 0 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.   Switzerland, 3 September 2020 U21
DF Mykyta Burda (1995-04-24) 24 April 1995 8 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.   Switzerland, 3 September 2020 INJ
DF Artem Shabanov (1992-03-07) 7 March 1992 2 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.   Switzerland, 3 September 2020 INJ

MF Ruslan Malinovskyi (1993-05-04) 4 May 1993 32 6 Atalanta v.   Switzerland, 17 November 2020 COV
MF Yevhenii Makarenko (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991 9 0 Kortrijk v.   Switzerland, 17 November 2020 COV
MF Andriy Yarmolenko (1989-10-23) 23 October 1989 92 38 West Ham United v.  Germany, 14 November 2020 COV
MF Serhiy Sydorchuk (1991-05-02) 2 May 1991 32 2 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Germany, 14 November 2020 COV
MF Viktor Kovalenko (1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 30 0 Atalanta v.  Germany, 14 November 2020 COV
MF Viktor Tsyhankov (1997-11-15) 15 November 1997 25 5 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Germany, 14 November 2020 COV
MF Yevhen Shakhov (1990-11-30) 30 November 1990 7 1 AEK Athens v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 COV
MF Mykola Shaparenko (1998-10-04) 4 October 1998 7 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 COV
MF Roman Bezus (1990-09-26) 26 September 1990 23 5 Gent v.  Spain, 13 October 2020
MF Volodymyr Shepelyev (1997-06-01) 1 June 1997 7 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Spain, 13 October 2020
MF Yevhen Konoplyanka (1989-09-29) 29 September 1989 86 21 Shakhtar Donetsk v.  France, 7 October 2020 INJ
MF Vitaliy Buyalskyi (1993-01-06) 6 January 1993 8 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.  France, 7 October 2020 INJ

FW Vladyslav Supriaha (2000-02-15) 15 February 2000 0 0 Dynamo Kyiv v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 COV
FW Artem Kravets (1989-06-03) 3 June 1989 23 8 Konyaspor v.  Poland, 11 November 2020 INJ

Notes:

  • COV = Withdrew due to COVID-19
  • INJ = Injured.
  • WD = Withdrew.
  • PRE = Preliminary squad.
  • RET = Retired from the national team.
  • SUS = Suspended for the next match.
  • U21 = Joined the Ukraine national under-21 team instead.
  • ALT = Alternate - replaces a member of the squad in case of injury/unavailability

Previous squads

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
as Part of  Soviet Union as Part of  Soviet Union
1930 Did not enter Did not enter
1934 1934
1938 1938
1950 1950
1954 1954
1958Quarter-finals6th52125643011631958
1962Quarter-finals6th42119744001131962
1966Fourth place4th640210665011961966
1970Quarter-finals5th4211624310811970
1974Withdrew[40]4301521974
1978Did not qualify4202531978
1982Second group stage7th52217486202021982
1986Round of 1610th421112584221381986
1990Group stage17th31024484311141990
as  Ukraine as  Ukraine
1994 FIFA member from 1992. Not admitted to the tournament.[lower-alpha 2] FIFA member from 1992. Not admitted to the tournament.[lower-alpha 2]
1998 Did not qualify
12 6 3 3 11 9 1998
2002 12 4 6 2 15 13 2002
2006 Quarter-finals 8th 5 2 1 2 5 7 12 7 4 1 18 7 2006
2010 Did not qualify 12 6 4 2 21 7 2010
2014 12 7 3 2 30 7 2014
2018 10 5 2 3 13 9 2018
2022 To be determined To be determined
2026
Total Quarter-finals 1/7 5 2 1 2 5 7 70 35 22 13 108 52
* Denotes draws include knock-out matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA European Championship

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
as Part of  Soviet Union as Part of  Soviet Union
1960 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 5 1 2 2 0 0 4 1 1960
1964 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 4 2 4 2 2 0 7 3 1964
1968 Fourth Place 4th 2 0 1 1 0 2 8 6 0 2 19 8 1968
1972 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 1 3 8 5 3 0 16 4 1972
1976 Did not qualify 8 4 1 3 12 10 1976
1980 6 1 3 2 7 8 1980
1984 6 4 1 1 11 2 1984
1988 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 7 4 8 5 3 0 14 3 1988
as Part of  CIS
1992 Group stage 8th 3 0 2 1 1 4 8 5 3 0 13 2 1992
as  Ukraine as  Ukraine
1996 Did not qualify 10 4 1 5 11 15 1996
2000 12 5 6 1 16 7 2000
2004 8 2 4 2 11 10 2004
2008 12 5 2 5 18 16 2008
2012 Group stage 13th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Qualified as host nation
2016 Group stage 24th 3 0 0 3 0 5 12 7 2 3 17 5 2016
2020 Qualified 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 6 2 0 17 4 2020
2024 To be determined To be determined
Total Group stage 3/7 6 1 0 5 2 9 62 29 17 16 90 57

Qualifying campaigns

FIFA World Cup UEFA European Championship
1994 – Qualifying spot not granted by FIFA 1996 – 4th in Qualifying group 4
1998 – 2nd in Qualifying group 9, lost to Croatia in play-off 2000 – 2nd in Qualifying group 4, lost to Slovenia in play-off
2002 – 2nd in Qualifying group 5, lost to Germany in play-off 2004 – 3rd in Qualifying group 6
2006 Qualified for the tournament (1st in Qualifying group 2) 2008 – 4th in Qualifying group B
2010 – 2nd in Qualifying group 6, lost to Greece in play-off 2012 Qualified for the tournament (as a host nation)
2014 – 2nd in Qualifying group H, lost to France in play-off 2016 Qualified for the tournament (3rd in Qualifying group C, won over Slovenia in play-off)
2018 – 3rd in Qualifying group I 2020 Qualified for the tournament (Winner in Qualifying group B)

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 B 1 430155 14th
2020–21 A 4 6204513 13th
2022–23 B To be determined
Total 10 5 0 5 10 18 13th

All-time team record

World Map of Ukraine's opponents (2014)

The following table shows Ukraine's all-time international record, correct as of 14 November 2020.[42][43][44]

Key
Positive balance (more wins)
Neutral balance (equal W/L ratio)
Negative balance (more losses)
Against Confederation Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD
 AlbaniaUEFA6510134+9
 AndorraUEFA4400170+17
 ArmeniaUEFA8530178+9
 AustriaUEFA2101440
 AzerbaijanUEFA211060+6
 BelarusUEFA9531125+7
 BrazilCONMEBOL100102−2
 BulgariaUEFA532072+5
 CameroonCAF1010000
 CanadaCONCACAF1010220
 ChileCONMEBOL110021+1
 Costa RicaCONCACAF110040+4
 CroatiaUEFA9135515−10
 CyprusUEFA3111550
 Czech RepublicUEFA421135−2
 DenmarkUEFA3111220
 EnglandUEFA712439−6
 EstoniaUEFA5500110+11
 Faroe IslandsUEFA220070+7
 FinlandUEFA220031+2
 FranceUEFA10136621−15
 GeorgiaUEFA9630166+10
 GermanyUEFA8035717−10
 GreeceUEFA622243+1
 HungaryUEFA200225−3
 IcelandUEFA412134−1
 IranAFC100101−1
 IsraelUEFA623175+2
 ItalyUEFA8026315−12
 JapanAFC320132+1
 KazakhstanUEFA440093+6
 KosovoUEFA220050+5
 LatviaUEFA321031+2
 LibyaCAF211041+3
 LithuaniaUEFA10712208+12
 LuxembourgUEFA5500121+11
 MaltaUEFA100101−1
 MexicoCONCACAF100112−1
 MoldovaUEFA532063+3
 MontenegroUEFA210141+3
 MoroccoCAF1010000
 NetherlandsUEFA201114−3
 NigerCAF110021+1
 NigeriaCAF1010220
 Northern IrelandUEFA5221330
 North MacedoniaUEFA421131+2
 NorwayUEFA541050+5
 PolandUEFA9324911-2
 PortugalUEFA421143+1
 RomaniaUEFA62131014−4
 RussiaUEFA211043+1
 San MarinoUEFA2200170+17
 Saudi ArabiaAFC211051+4
 ScotlandUEFA2101330
 SerbiaUEFA7610163+13
 SlovakiaUEFA8332910–1
 SloveniaUEFA6132770
 South KoreaAFC200203−3
 SpainUEFA7115414−10
 SwedenUEFA421143+1
  SwitzerlandUEFA312043+1
 TunisiaCAF110010+1
 TurkeyUEFA9234911−2
 United Arab EmiratesAFC1010110
 United StatesCONCACAF431051+4
 UruguayCONMEBOL100123−1
 UzbekistanAFC220041+3
 WalesUEFA312032+1
Total5/62721247474375223+152

Home venues record

Since Ukraine's first fixture (29 April 1992 vs. Hungary) they have played their home games at 11 different stadiums.

Venue City Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA Points per game
Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex Kyiv 60 29 19 12 86 50 1.77
Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium Kyiv 20 13 5 2 38 15 2.2
Arena Lviv Lviv 13 11 2 0 32 5 2.69
Metalist Oblast Sports Complex Kharkiv 11 6 1 4 16 8 1.73
Ukraina Stadium Lviv 6 6 0 0 14 5 3
Chornomorets Stadium Odesa 5 4 1 0 6 2 2.6
Donbass Arena Donetsk 5 0 1 4 2 9 0.2
Dnipro-Arena Dnipro 3 2 1 0 4 2 2.33
Shakhtar Stadium Donetsk 2 0 1 1 0 2 0.5
Slavutych-Arena Zaporizhzhia 1 1 0 0 1 0 3
Meteor Stadium Dnipro 1 0 1 0 2 2 1
Avanhard Stadium Uzhhorod 1 0 0 1 1 3
Totals1287232242021031.94
Last updated: 13 October 2020. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

FIFA Ranking history

[45]

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
90 77 71 59 49 47 27 34 45 45 60 57 40 13 30 15 22 34 55 47 18 25 29 30 35

Kits and sponsors

Kit history and evolution

On 29 March 2010, Ukraine debuted a new Adidas kit.[46] This replaced the Adidas kit with a yellow base and the traditional Adidas three stripe with a snake sash which was used in 2009.[47] Prior to 5 February 2009 Ukraine wore a Lotto kit. In 2009 the official team kit was produced by German company Adidas which has a contract with the Ukrainian team until 31 December 2016. Joma manufactured the kits starting from the year 2017 for the match against Croatia on 24 March 2017.[48]

Former crest.

Sponsors

Marketing for the Football Federation of Ukraine is conducted by the Ukraine Football International (UFI).

Former title and general sponsors included Ukrtelecom, Kyivstar,[52] Nordex (Austria),[53][54] and Geoton.

See also

Notes

  1. Here also included players, who capped in the match against Malta national football team on 6 June 2017, where were used a 10 substitutions (Law 03: 2. Number of substitutions: "In national “A” team matches, up to a maximum of six substitutes may be used"). For these reasons the match isn't recognised by FIFA, but is listed as an official match by the Ukrainian Association of Football.[18][19][20]
  2. FIFA adopted a decision not to allow to participate in the 1994 FIFA World Cup the national teams of those former Soviet republic that did not participate in the qualification draw on 8 December 1991.[7] A proposition of Ukraine to arrange a separate tournament for all successors of the Soviet Union and supported by Georgia and Armenia was blocked by Russia.[41]

References

  1. источники, Внешние. "Шевченко - главный тренер сборной Украины".
  2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  3. uefa.com. "Member associations - Ukraine - Profile – UEFA.com". UEFA.com.
  4. The Ukrainian Football National Team of 1925–1935 (in Ukrainian)
  5. Ukrainian Soccer History website (in Ukrainian)
  6. New York Times, 8 December 1991, Nations Lining Up for the Big Drawing
  7. At the crossing (На переправе). Kopanyi myach.
  8. "RSSSF European Championship 1988 – Final Tournament – Full Details". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  9. 1992 season of the Russian national football tean. Rusteam.permian.ru
  10. In captivity of emotions and ambitions (В плену у эмоций и амбиций). Fanat (from Komanda newspaper).
  11. From Korea - empty-handed ("supping unsalted") (Из Кореи - не солоно хлебавши). Komanda newspaper (by Fanat)
  12. Slovenians surprised and got surprised (Словенцы удивили и удивились). Komanda newspaper (by Fanat).
  13. Premature compliments (Преждевременные комплименты). Komanda newspaper (by Fanat)
  14. Hopes are new, yet result is erstwhile (Надежды новые, результат прежний). Komanda newspaper (by Fanat)
  15. To make [necessary] conclusions and [continue] to work (Сделать выводы и работать). Komanda newspaper (by Fanat)
  16. Hlyvynskyi, Oleksandr (17 November 2020). "Official: League of Nations game Switzerland - Ukraine canceled - Official site of the Ukrainian Football Association". Ukrainian Association of Football. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  17. Oleg Semenchenko. On the game Ukraine – Germany are present 17,573 fans (На матче Украина - Германия присутствуют 17 573 болельщика). Footboom. 10 October 2020
  18. "Laws of the Game 2018/19" (PDF). Official FIFA Website. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  19. Товариський матч Україна – Мальта визнаний ФІФА неофіційним. ua-football.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  20. "Національна збірна: усi матчi". Official Ukrainian Association of Football Website (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  21. Вербицький, Іван. "Шевчук – 25-й у історії збірної України капітан" (in Ukrainian).
  22. http://zbirna.com/2018/01/04/v-chem-andrej-shevchenko-uzhe-prevzoshel-valeriya-lobanovskogo/
  23. "Copy of the document for the resgnation". Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  24. "Збірну довірили Калитвинцеву (National team was entrusted to Kalitvintsev)". www.ffu.org.ua (in Ukrainian). 25 August 2010.
  25. Ukraine appoint Blokhin, Sky Sports (21 April 2011)
  26. Андрій Баль призначений в.о. головного тренера збірної України (Andriy Bal is appointed acting head coach of the Ukrainian national team), www.ua-football.com (6 October 2012)
  27. Ukraine's football federation taps Fomenko to coach national team, Kyiv Post (26 December 2012)
  28. https://en.uaf.ua/national/coaches
  29. https://en.uaf.ua/article/40739
  30. Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Ukraine (2020)". www.national-football-teams.com.
  31. "Ukraine - Record International Players". www.rsssf.com.
  32. "Football Federation of Ukraine's official website". ffu.org.ua.
  33. "Football Federation of Ukraine's official website". ffu.org.ua.
  34. "Football Federation of Ukraine's official website". ffu.org.ua.
  35. http://ffu.org.ua/eng/teams/teams_main/16928/
  36. https://en.ffu.ua/article/1965
  37. https://ffu.ua/article/34473
  38. https://ffu.ua/article/35158
  39. https://ffu.ua/article/36571
  40. Refused to play the return leg of a play-off in Chile in the aftermath of that country's 1973 military coup
  41. We hacked window to America (Прорубили окно в Америку). Komanda newspaper (by Fanat)
  42. "All matches". ffu.org.ua. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  43. "All-time Ukraine national football team international record". eu-football.info. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  44. https://www.worldfootball.net/teams/ukraine-team/21/
  45. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Ukraine - Men's". FIFA.com. 14 September 2017.
  46. "Новую форму сборной первым примерил Ракицкий (+фото) (New uniform for the National team was first fitted by Rakytsky with photo)". ua.football (in Russian). Globalinfo (Kyiv, Ukraine). 29 March 2010.
  47. "Ukraine 09/10 Adidas football kits". footballshirtculture. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  48. https://www.joma-sport.com/en/news/joma-official-technical-sponsor-of-football-federation-of-ukraine
  49. "Спонсор збірної України пообіцяв $2 млн. за вихід на ЧС-2014 - Факти". 22 January 2013.
  50. "Article-news at epicentrk.com.ua".
  51. Presentation of new sponsors in 2013 on YouTube. Youtube channel of FFU.
  52. источники, Внешние. "Спонсори збірної України, їх статуси і класифікація".
  53. Announcement of the game Ukraine vs Estonia. Fanat.ua
  54. Ukraine 3:1 Belarus (Украина Белоруссия 3:1). Fanat.ua
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