About U19 Euro Qualifying
History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The U19 Euro Qualifying, also known as the UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification, is a tournament organized by UEFA that determines which teams qualify for the annual UEFA Under-19 European Championship. While the hosts of the Euro U19 finals participate in the qualifiers, they are guaranteed a spot in the finals, leaving seven available spots for qualification. This competition is open to all UEFA member associations. The format has changed throughout the year, with UEFA announcing a shift to a three-round event from the 2026-27 campaign onwards. In this format, rounds 1 and 2 occur in the spring and autumn of the same calendar year, concluding with round 3 in the spring of the following year.
In round 1, teams are split into two leagues: League A and B. Twenty-eight countries enter League A, while the remaining are allocated to League B. The leagues are determined by round 2 of the relevant UEFA U17 Euro qualifying tournament. For example, the teams that have either secured their place in or earned promotion to League A of the 2024-25 UEFA U17 Euro qualification by the end of round 2 kick off the 2026-27 U19 Euro Qualifying campaign in League A.
The 28 teams in League A are divided into seven groups of four, while League B teams are grouped into seven groups of three or four, depending on the number of participants. The tournament follows a single round-robin format, with each team facing every other side in their group once. At the end of round 1, the fourth-placed team in each League A group is relegated to League B, while the seven group winners in League B are promoted to League A for round 2.
Round 2 has a similar structure, but the lowest-placed teams in each League A group are eliminated. The seven group winners from League B move up to League A, while other teams from League B are eliminated. In round 3, the remaining 28 teams are again split into seven groups of four, with only the group winners qualifying for the UEFA Under-19 European Championship finals alongside the host nation. The group allocations for each round are determined by a draw held before the rounds start.