Under-19 elite round line-up confirmed

UEFA European Under-19 Championship holders France were among the 27 teams to make it through the qualifying round to join top seeds Spain in December's elite round draw, with Belarus ending as the best third-placed team.

The qualifiers (group winners listed first):
Group 1: Belgium, Finland
Group 2: Netherlands, Norway
Group 3: Israel, Scotland
Group 4: Germany, Republic of Ireland
Group 5: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group 6: England, Greece
Group 7: Italy, Hungary
Group 8: Bulgaria, Portugal, Belarus*
Group 9: France (holders), Czech Republic
Group 10: Sweden, Serbia
Group 11: Slovakia, Poland
Group 12: Croatia, Cyprus
Group 13: Turkey, Ukraine

*Best third-placed team (results against top two in group only)
Ranking (group team: pts, goals F-A)
8 Belarus: 4, 2-1
----------------------------
6 Wales: 3, 3-4
1 Russia: 2, 3-3
7 Switzerland: 1, 2-3
9 Slovenia: 1, 2-3
4 Albania: 0, 2-4
3 Andorra: 0, 2-4
11 Northern Ireland: 0, 0-2
2 Romania: 0, 2-5
13 Iceland: 0, 1-4
5 Azerbaijan: 0, 2-6
10 Malta: 0, 0-5
12 Faroe Islands: 0, 0-6

Bye to elite round: Spain

Bye to finals: Georgia (hosts)

Birk Risa scores one of his five goals©DETO

Qualifying round summary

• Top scorers: Nathan Broadhead (Wales), Birk Risa (Norway) 5
• The Netherlands, Israel, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Slovakia and Croatia all managed a maximum nine points.
• Slovakia did not concede a goal.
• Germany and Norway top-scored with 12 goals.
• Russia, who ended unbeaten but were behind Belgium and Finland in a three-way tie-break, looked set to finish as the best third-placed side from 11 October until Tuesday, when Belarus beat Group 8 winners Bulgaria 2-1 to end a five-season absence from the elite round.
• Denmark ended bottom of that group despite an opening 5-0 defeat of Belarus after losing 2-1 to Portugal in their final game with two goals in the last 11 minutes.
• Hours after Group 8 finished, Wales ended third in the last section to be completed, in a three-way tie on six points behind England and, by a single goal, Greece. Wales's record against the top two in their group was better than that of Russia, but not Belarus.

Elite round draw (13 December, Nyon)

• The teams are split into four seeding pots of seven teams each based on qualifying round results, with Spain in Pot 1 as top seeds.
• The sides are drawn into seven groups of four teams. No country can meet a nation they played in the qualifying round, with any other restrictions to be confirmed ahead of the draw.
• Games take place in spring by early June. The seven group winners qualify to join hosts Georgia in the finals from 2 to 15 July 2017.
• Earlier on 13 December, the draw for the 2017/18 qualifying round will also be made.

Dates for your diary
Elite round draw: 13 December, Nyon
Elite round: spring 2017
Final tourmament draw: tbc, Georgia
Final tournament: 2–15 July, Georgia