Under-19 Futsal EURO 2023 preliminary and main round draws

The UEFA European Under-19 Futsal Championship preliminary and main round draws have paved the road to the 2023 finals.

In all, 36 teams have entered, with 35 competing to join hosts Croatia in the finals in Poreč, scheduled from 3–10 September 2023. Spain won the first two editions in 2019 (beating Croatia in the final) and 2022, with the competition now returning to its regular schedule after the second edition was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As well as the holders – aiming for a third straight title – other contenders include 2022 runners-up Portugal, semi-finalists Poland and Ukraine (all among the 25 nations entering directly in March's main round), plus debutants Germany and Malta, who are two of the ten teams starting in January's preliminary round and competing for the last three main round spots.

Preliminary round groups

Group A (18–21 January): England, Lithuania (hosts), Estonia, Malta

Group B (19–21 January): Montenegro, San Marino, Gibraltar (hosts)

Group C (19– 21 January): North Macedonia (hosts), Kosovo, Germany

• Group winners progress to the main round.

The preliminary round groupsUEFA

Main round groups (21–26 March)

Group 1: Poland, Slovenia, Moldova (hosts), Kazakhstan

Group 2: Ukraine, Romania, Serbia (hosts), Winners preliminary round Group B

Group 3: Portugal (hosts), Slovakia, Belarus, Winners preliminary round Group C

Group 4: Belgium, Finland, Latvia (hosts), Georgia

Group 5: France, Bosnia and Herzegovina (hosts), Greece, Azerbaijan

Group 6 (hosts tbc): Spain (holders), Netherlands, Hungary, Andorra

Group 7: Italy (hosts), Türkiye, Czechia, Winners preliminary round Group A

• Group winners join hosts Croatia in the finals, provisionally scheduled from 3 to 10 September.

Meet the teams

• Spain won the first two editions, in 2019 (Riga) and 2022 (as hosts in Jaén).
• Croatia were runners-up in 2019, while Portugal reached the 2022 final having lost in the 2019 semis.
• Poland reached the semi-finals in both previous editions, while Ukraine got to the last four in 2022 (having gone out in the 2019 group stage, the round where Croatia fell last time).
• Other teams aiming for a finals return are France (2022), Italy (2022), Latvia (2019 hosts), Netherlands (2019) and Romania (2022).
• Germany and Malta are making their debut, while England, Kosovo and Lithuania return after taking part in qualifying for the inaugural 2019 edition.
• Russia are suspended.

How the draw worked

• Hosts Croatia receive a bye to the finals.
• Of the 35 other entrants, the ten lowest-ranked associations by coefficient (based on results in the inaugural two editions) begin in January's preliminary round.
• The preliminary round contenders compete for three places alongside the 25 nations entering in March's main round, which will produce Croatia's seven opponents for the finals.
• Both rounds will be played as one-venue mini-tournaments, with the three preliminary group winners progressing to the main round, and the seven main round group winners joining Croatia in the finals.

Preliminary round

• Teams were split into four seeding tiers (three in each of positions 1 and 2, and the other four in positions 3 or 4), based on their coefficients, and drawn accordingly. Group A contains four teams and Group B will have three.
• North Macedonia (position 1), Lithuania (position 2) and Gibraltar (position 4 or 3) were pre-designated as mini-tournament hosts and drawn from a separate Pot 1 while maintaining their seeding. If Gibraltar had been drawn first (Group A) they would have been placed in position 4, but instead were allocated to position 3 of Group B.
• Next to be drawn was Pot 2, containing the remaining teams from the lowest seeding tier. Pot 3 contained San Marino and Kosovo, who filled the second tier positions not filled by Lithuania. Pot 4 contained Montenegro and England, who filled the first tier positions not filled by North Macedonia.

Seeding pots

Pot 1: hosts
North Macedonia (seeding position 1)
Lithuania (seeding position 2)
Gibraltar (seeding position 4 or 3)

Pot 2: seeding position 4 or 3
Estonia
Germany
Malta

Pot 3: seeding position 2
San Marino
Kosovo

Pot 4: seeding position 1
Montenegro
England

Main round

• Seven groups of four were formed: the seven group winners will join hosts Croatia in the finals in Poreč.
• Teams were split into four seeding tiers according to their coefficients: the three preliminary round group winners joined the teams ranked 22 to 25 in position 4.
• Four teams were pre-designated as mini-tournament hosts and drawn from Pot 1 and placed in Groups 1 to 4 while maintaining their seeding. Groups 5, 6, and 7 had no hosts assigned; those mini-tournaments will each be hosted by one of the associations drawn in the group, either by agreement or, if no agreement is reached by 17 November, via a draw conducted by the UEFA administration on 18 November to determine the hosts.
• The remaining sides were drawn by seeding tiers from Pots 2 to 5 in a similar fashion to the preliminary round, filling the vacant slots for their respective positions in each group.
• Based on decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee, the following pairs of teams could not be drawn together: Spain and Gibraltar; Kosovo and Serbia; Kosovo and Bosnia & Herzegovina; Ukraine and Belarus.

Seeding pots

Pot 1: hosts
Portugal (seeding position 1)
Latvia (seeding position 3)
Serbia (seeding position 3)
Moldova (seeding position 3)

Pot 2: seeding position 4
Andorra
Kazakhstan
Georgia
Azerbaijan
Winners preliminary round Group A
Winners preliminary round Group B
Winners preliminary round Group C

Pot 3: seeding position 3
Czechia
Greece
BelarusHungary

Pot 4: seeding position 2
Romania
Netherlands
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Türkiye
Slovenia
Slovakia
Finland

Pot 5: seeding position 1
Spain (holders)
Poland
Ukraine
France
Italy
Belgium