Ukraine national football team explained

Ukraine
Nickname:Синьо-жовті (The Blue and Yellow)
Збірна (The National Team)
Badge:Logo Fédération Ukraine Football 2016.svg
Badge Size:145px
Association:
Ukrainian: Українська Асоціація Футболу
Confederation:UEFA (Europe)
Website:uaf.ua
Coach:Serhiy Rebrov
Captain:Andriy Yarmolenko
Most Caps:Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (144)
Top Scorer:Andriy Shevchenko (48)
Home Stadium:Various
Fifa Trigramme:UKR
Fifa Max:11
Fifa Max Date:February 2007
Fifa Min:132
Fifa Min Date:September 1993
Elo Max:14
Elo Max Date:November 2010
Elo Min:69
Elo Min Date:29 March 1995
Pattern La1:_ukr21
Pattern B1:_ukr21h
Pattern Ra1:_ukr21
Pattern Sh1:_ukr21h
Pattern So1:_ukr21h
Leftarm1:FFDD00
Body1:FFE000
Rightarm1:FFE000
Shorts1:FFE000
Socks1:FFE000
Pattern La2:_ukr21a
Pattern B2:_ukr21a
Pattern Ra2:_ukr21a
Pattern Sh2:_ukr21a
Pattern So2:_ukr21a
Leftarm2:0033FF
Body2:0033FF
Rightarm2:0033FF
Shorts2:0033FF
Socks2:0033FF
Pattern La3:_ukr21t
Pattern B3:_ukr21t
Pattern Ra3:_ukr21t
Pattern Sh3:_ukr21t
Pattern So3:_ukr21t
Leftarm3:FFFFFF
Body3:FFFFFF
Rightarm3:FFFFFF
Shorts3:FFFFFF
Socks3:FFFFFF
First Game: 1–3
(Uzhhorod, Ukraine; 29 April 1992)
Largest Win: 9–0
(Lviv, Ukraine; 6 September 2013)
Largest Loss: 7–1
(Saint-Denis, France; 7 October 2020)
World Cup Apps:1
World Cup First:2006
World Cup Best:Quarter-finals (2006)
Regional Name:European Championship
Regional Cup Apps:4
Regional Cup First:2012
Regional Cup Best:Quarter-finals (2020)

The Ukraine national football team (Ukrainian: Збірна України з футболу) represents Ukraine in men's international football, and 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.

After Ukrainian independence, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992. The team reached the quarter-finals in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their debut in the finals of a major championship.[1] Apart from Russia, Ukraine is the only post-Soviet state to qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals.

As the host nation, Ukraine automatically qualified for UEFA Euro 2012.[1] Four years later, Ukraine finished third in their qualifying group for Euro 2016 and advanced via the play-off route to reach a UEFA European Championship tournament through the qualifiers for the first time. This marked the first time in Ukraine's six play-off appearances that it managed to win such a tie, having lost previous play-off ties for the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, the 2010 World Cup and the 2014 World Cup, and would lose again in the 2022 World Cup play-offs.

Ukraine's best performances in the UEFA European Championship and in the World Cup were in 2020 and 2006 respectively, in both cases reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.

History

Ukrainian SSR (1924–1990)

The national team was formed in the early 1990s and was recognized internationally soon afterwards. It is not widely known, however, that Ukraine previously had a national team in 1924–1935.[2] [3] Just like the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic had its own national team. The national team included the players Andriy Ponomarenko, Ivan Privalov, Volodymyr Fomin, H. Syrota, Mykola Fomin, Anatoliy Lisnyi, Oleksandr Shatokha (goalkeeper), Dmytro Kyryllov, Dmytro Starusev, Serhiy Kopeiko, Petro Parovyshnykov (first team); Valentyn Prokofyev, Fedir Tyutchev, H. Yakubovskyi, Ivan Vladymyrskyi, Serafim Moskvin (goalkeeper), Kazymyr Piontkovskyi, Mykhailo Pashuta, Vasiliy Yepishin, Adam Bem, K. Us, Volodymyr Prasolov (second team).[4] [5]

The earliest record of games played by Ukraine 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; at the All-Soviet tournament, Ukraine reached the final where it lost to Moscow 1–0, after defeating Belarus and Transcaucasus.

In 1929, Ukraine beat Lower Austria in an exhibition match in Kharkiv 4–1, and played in another Soviet tournament. Ukraine lost to Transcaucasus 3–0.

Official formation

Before 1991, Ukrainian players were represented by the Soviet Union national team. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Russia took place in the qualifying tournament for the 1994 World Cup. The national team of Ukraine did not manage to enter the tournament[6] on account of it not yet being 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. At that time Vyacheslav Koloskov was the only top official from the former Soviet Union and later Russia who served as a vice-president of UEFA in 1980–1996 and represented the Soviet Union and later the Commonwealth of Independent States.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 the 11 starting players were Ukrainians[7]), were transferred to the Russia national team. As a result, a crisis was created for both the national team and the domestic league.

Another reason for the occurred harsh crisis in the Ukrainian football was lack of adequate funding of teams, due to the general economic crisis that has affected all of the CIS countries. There also was a reverse influx of players; Viktor Leonenko agreed on transfer from Dynamo Moscow to Dynamo Kyiv. The Russian club did not want to release him, but Leonenko did not want to continue to play in Moscow.

In the following years, the Ukrainian team improved, showcasing talents like Andriy Shevchenko, Serhiy Rebrov, and Oleksandr Shovkovskyi.

First official games (Prokopenko)

Soon after being accepted to FIFA and UEFA as a full member in 1992, Ukraine selected its first manager by 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 Valeriy Yaremchenko (Shakhtar Donetsk). The circle was narrowed to three specialists; Prokopenko eventually became the manager.[8]

Ukraine played their first match on 29 April 1992 against Hungary in Uzhhorod at the Avanhard Stadium, losing 3–1 with the sole Ukrainian goal scored by Ivan Hetsko. With the creation of "fantom" (transitional) CIS team in place of the Soviet Union playing its own friendly against the England in Moscow in preparation to the UEFA Euro 1992,[9] the Ukrainian team lost some notable players to that team. Following a couple of losses to Hungary and a draw to the United States, Prokopenko resigned and the last season game that year for the national team was led by his assistants Mykola Pavlov and Leonid Tkachenko.

Euro 1996 qualification (Bazylevych)

See main article: UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying Group 4. Ukraine appointed another head coach, Oleh Bazylevych, who made his debut with the national team in the spring of 1993 in Odesa during a friendly against Israel, a 1–1 draw. Less than a month later Ukraine finally won, in Vilnius in an away friendly against Lithuania. During the summer they lost 3–1 to Croatia; Ukraine was later seeded in Group 4 of the UEFA Euro 1996 qualification.

Ukraine was defeated by Israel in March 1994, and drew Bulgaria and the United Arab Emirates. On 7 September 1994, the national team started its first official qualification campaign with a surprising home loss 2–0 to Lithuania.[10] Following the defeat and a weak performance in preceding friendlies Bazylevych was fired and on the tour to South Korea the team was led by the Bazylevych assistants Pavlov and Muntyan as a temporary replacement until Federation signs a contract with Valeriy Lobanovsky. on 24 September, the Football Federation of Ukraine appointed Yozhef Sabo as an acting manager until the end of the year after Lobanovsky signed a contract with Kuwait.

With the new manager, their next home game against Slovenia ended goalless[11] and they then beat Estonia 3–0 gaining their first win in official competitive game.[12] At the beginning of the year the Football Federation confirmed Anatoliy Konkov as the new head coach on 5 January 1995.With Konkov the team started with away losses of 4–0 to Croatia and 3–0 to Italy.[13] After that there was a three-game winning streak including a home victory against Croatia and theoretical hopes which were abruptly cut after a loss to Slovenia and the team finished in the fourth place in its first qualification campaign behind Lithuania.

1998–2004: near misses

Following the expiration of a year-long contract with Konkov, in 1996 the Federation appointed Sabo as a head coach and received a preliminary agreement that Lobanovsky will become available following his contract with Kuwait.

Ukraine participated in 1998 World Cup qualification, where the team was drawn into Group 9. Ukraine took second place, only behind Germany and ahead of Portugal but was defeated in a play-off stage 3–1 on aggregate by Croatia. The qualification campaign became notable as the beginning of the international career for Shevchenko as well as more play time for some other players such as Oleksandr Shovkovsky and Serhiy Rebrov.

In UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, Ukraine, assigned in Group 4, finished above Russia, thanks to an important draw in Moscow and a home victory, but still only qualified for the playoff behind the French side despite being undefeated. Ukraine then fell to Slovenia 3–2 on aggregate. Following the qualification campaign, the Federation finally signed a contract with Valery Lobanovsky, ending Sabo's tenure as a head coach.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification saw Ukraine in Group 5. With Lobanovsky as a head coach, there were expectations of the first qualification to the finals. Yet, Ukraine suffered a home loss to Poland in their opening match, and many draws had resulted in Ukraine qualifying for the playoff again, losing to Germany, 5–2 on aggregate. Under public pressure, particularly the Higher League head coaches who argued that the national team head coach cannot competently serve for both club and national, as well as the health issues of Lobanovsky himself, the Federation decided not to renew a contract with Lobanovsky letting him concentrate on Dynamo Kyiv.

In UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying, Ukraine with the new head coach and another former Dynamo Kyiv star Leonid Buryak was assigned into Group 6, with Spain and Greece. Ukraine failed to qualify.

2006 World Cup

After Euro 2004 qualifying, Ukraine appointed Oleg Blokhin as the national team's head coach. Placed in Group 2, Ukraine went on to qualify as a group winner for their first-ever FIFA World Cup on 3 September 2005 after drawing 1–1 against Georgia in Tbilisi and ahead of Turkey, Denmark and the last campaign rivals Greece among others. This also was the first successful qualification campaign for Ukraine despite a poor home turf performance.

In the 2006 World Cup, they were in Group H with Spain, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. After losing 4–0 in the first match against Spain, the Ukrainians won the next two matches to face Switzerland in the round of 16. Drawing goalless, Ukraine took Switzerland to a penalty shoot-out where two saves from Oleksandr Shovkovsky secured a positive outcome for his side despite the first kick miss by Andriy Shevchenko. Switzerland which did not lose or yield a single goal was sent home early with Ukraine advancing to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Ukraine, facing Italy, was defeated with two second half two goals from Luca Toni, securing a comfortable 3–0 win for the future 2006 World Cup champions.

2006–2012

After the World Cup, Ukraine was placed in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group B, along with Italy and France; Ukraine had also performed poorly against Scotland, Georgia and Lithuania, ultimately finishing in fourth place. Due to the bleak performance of the national team Oleg Blokhin resigned and surprisingly signed with the recently established FC Moscow.[14] [15]

With another Soviet football star player Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko as the new head coach, 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw Ukraine in Group 6, drawing Croatia and winning against England, sending Ukraine to the playoff. Greece, which had been eliminated by Ukraine in the qualifiers four years earlier, would eventually get revenge. Following the failure to qualify, the Federation decided not to renew the contract with Mykhaylychenko.[16]

See main article: UEFA Euro 2012 Group D.

As co-hosts, Ukraine qualified automatically for Euro 2012,[1] marking their debut in the UEFA European Championship. The Federation decided to appoint Myron Markevych to prepare and lead the national team in the Euro finals. However, following a few friendlies Markevych resigned due to the off-pitch politics and having held coaching office of both the national team and Metalist Kharkiv.[17] [18] For the next several games in 2010 and 2011 the national team was led by caretaker Yuriy Kalitvintsev who starred for Ukraine back in its first qualification campaign for the Euro 1996.

On 21 April 2011, Blokhin was again appointed head coach of the Ukraine national team signing a four-year contract.[19] With Blokhin at helm in their opening game against Sweden, Ukraine won 2–1 in Kyiv. In Donetsk, Ukraine was eliminated after a 2–0 loss to France and a 1–0 defeat to England.

2014–present

Drawn into UEFA Group H for 2014 World Cup qualification, Ukraine qualified for yet another playoff after two wins over Poland and two draws over England, where they would play against France. Ukraine beat France at home 2–0 but suffered a 3–0 loss away. Blokhin stepped down due to health concerns in the autumn of 2012 soon after the first home game against England and was replaced by Andriy Bal[20] and later Oleksandr Zavarov. While considering hiring a first foreign specialist, the Federation finally appointed Mykhailo Fomenko as a head coach by the end of 2012.[21] Even though Fomenko did not manage to qualify for the World Cup, the Federation decided to retain his services until the end of 2015.[22]

With the ongoing Russian aggression, Ukraine in Euro 2016 qualifying was drawn against Spain, Slovakia, Belarus, Macedonia and Luxembourg. Despite having won all matches apart from those against Spain and Slovakia, they finished third due to the results against the top two teams in the group. They defeated Slovenia in the playoff, marking the first time they qualified for a major tournament through the playoffs.

Ukraine lost all three games at Euro 2016 without scoring a goal; a 2–0 loss to Germany, a 2–0 loss to Northern Ireland, and Poland 1–0.

Following the Euro 2016, Fomenko was replaced with Andriy Shevchenko as a head coach who served as his assistant during the Euro finals.[23] Seeded in the UEFA Group I, Ukraine started with a home draw to Iceland in 2018 World Cup qualifying and an away draw to Turkey. This was followed by two home wins, 3–0 against Kosovo and 1–0 against Finland. After a 1–0 away loss to Croatia, they beat Finland 2–1 away and Turkey 2–0 at home, they lost 2–0 away to Iceland and won a 2–0 away win against Kosovo. Losing to Croatia at home, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying and in all its previous World Cup qualifications.

In the inaugural UEFA Nations League, Ukraine was drawn with the Czech Republic and Slovakia in League B. They beat the Czech Republic 2–1 away and Slovakia 1–0 at home, before earning a promotion to League A with a 1–0 home win to the Czech Republic.

See main article: UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Group B. Ukraine was placed in a group with Euro 2016 champions Portugal as well as Serbia. In its opening game of the qualifying campaign Ukraine visited Portugal which was led by returning star Cristiano Ronaldo. The match ended 0–0. The second game, against Luxembourg, ended up as a 2–1 win, preceding Ukraine's 5–0 win against Serbia, along with a narrow 1–0 win against Luxembourg. 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 Portugal. Ukraine won 2–1 and the group before drawing Serbia 2–2.

Ukraine was drawn with Switzerland, Spain, and Germany in the next Nations League. The Ukrainians started their campaign by overcoming Switzerland at home 2–1 to temporarily take first place. However, their next opponent Spain won 4–0. Germany then won 2–1 in Kyiv. Ukraine then defeated Spain for the first time with a 1–0 win. Germany swept Ukraine after a 1–0 deficit was canceled for a 3–1 victory.

As the COVID-19 crisis in Ukraine worsened, eight players from the starting squad tested positive (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.[24] [25] Their game against Switzerland away was subsequently cancelled. Ukraine faced relegation if the game was to be awarded 3–0 to Switzerland, or if the result is decided by a drawing of lots and Switzerland was to be handed a 1–0 victory. Eventually, UEFA decided that the match result would be 3–0 in favour of Switzerland and the CAS subsequently upheld the result, meaning that Ukraine had been officially relegated after just one year in League A.[26] [27]

See main article: UEFA Euro 2020. Ukraine qualified for the knockout stages in the European Championship for the first time in the 2020 tournament, postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19, as one of the best third-placed teams. They beat Sweden 2–1 in the round of 16, after Artem Dovbyk scored the winning goal in the first minute of the second half in extra time. They were then defeated by England in the quarter-final, recording their best finish at a major tournament since 2006.

Ukraine drew 1–1 in both games against France in 2022 World Cup qualifying.[28] Ukraine would then qualify for the playoff after breaking the record set by Australia for the most consecutive draws in World Cup qualification, with five straight draws. After five years and under the spell of draws in the recent campaign, Shevchenko announced his resignation in August 2021[29] and was replaced with Oleksandr Petrakov who had recently led the Ukraine U-20 team to the World Cup victory.[30] Ukraine eventually picked up a much-needed victory over Finland, ending their run of draws and giving them a two-point lead over Bosnia and a three-point lead over Finland. However, both Bosnia and Finland had a game in hand over Ukraine, who qualified for the playoffs after a 2–0 win over Bosnia and a Finnish loss to France. Ukraine faced Scotland in the Group A playoff semifinals, postponed in March 2022 to June after Russia invaded the country in February,[31] winning 3–1 at Hampden Park, but ultimately losing 1–0 to Wales in an emotional playoff final at the Cardiff City Stadium.[32]

Ukraine, who were relegated to League B in the 2nd Nations League due to their last-place finish (2 wins to 4 losses), failed to gain promotion to League A in the following Nations League, finishing 2nd in their group in the 3rd Nations League, beaten by Scotland against whom they lost in Glasgow in contrast to the play-off semi-final (0–3) and unable to beat the Tartan Army on neutral ground in the return leg (0–0).

In the qualifiers for the Euro 2024, Ukraine finished third in their highly competitive group, with four wins, two draws and two defeats. However, Italy finished ahead of the Zbirna only thanks to a favourable head-to-head record despite having the same number of points, while in the decisive Ukraine/Italy match (0–0) on neutral ground in Leverkusen, Germany, a refereeing error was made to the Ukrainians' disadvantage with a penalty not whistled for an Italian foul at the end of match.[33]

Eligible for the play-offs as the best non-group winner, Ukraine initially defeated Bosnia 2–1 away in the semi-finals of the Path B play-offs on March 21, 2024.[34] Five days later, on March 26, 2024, Ukraine qualified for Euro 2024 in Germany, beating Iceland 2–1 in the play-off final at the Wrocław Stadium in Poland.[35] [36] In this decisive final, as in the semi-final against Bosnia, Ukraine conceded the opening goal on each occasion and managed to turn the match around, winning by a narrow margin at the very end. Having been drawn into Group E with Romania, Belgium and Slovakia, Ukraine finished level with all the other teams in the group on four points, but were knocked out on goal difference.

Stadiums

Most matches are held at Kyiv's Olimpiyskyi National Sports Complex.

During the Soviet era (before 1991), only three stadiums in Ukraine were used in official games, the Olimpiysky NSC in Kyiv (known then as Republican Stadium), the predecessor of Chornomorets, BSS Central Stadium in Odesa, and the Lokomotiv Stadium in Simferopol.

Since May 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, home game matches have been taking place in Łódź.[37]

Home venue record

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

VenueCityPlayedWonDrawnLostGFGAPoints per game
Olimpiyskiy National Sports ComplexKyiv622921128852
Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo StadiumKyiv2013523815
Arena LvivLviv141130336
Metalist Oblast Sports ComplexKharkiv13724219
Ukraina StadiumLviv6600145
Chornomorets StadiumOdesa642073
Donbass ArenaDonetsk501429
Dnipro-ArenaDnipro431052
Shakhtar StadiumDonetsk201102
Slavutych-ArenaZaporizhzhia110010
Meteor StadiumDnipro101022
Avanhard StadiumUzhhorod100113
Totals 135 74 37 24 212 108

Last updated: 11 November 2021. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Kits and sponsors

Kit history and evolution

On 29 March 2010, Ukraine debuted a new Adidas kit.[38] This replaced the Adidas kit with a yellow base and the traditional Adidas three stripe with a snake sash which was used in 2009.[39] Before 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 beginning in 2017.[40]

Sponsors

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

Former title and general sponsors included Ukrtelecom, Kyivstar,[44] Nordex (Austria),[45] [46] and Geoton.

Kit supplierPeriod
Umbro1992–1997
1998–2002
2003–2008
2009–2016
2017–2024

Results and fixtures

See main article: Ukraine national football team results (2020–present). The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2024

Coaching staff

Currently approved:[47]

PositionName
Head coach Serhiy Rebrov
Assistant coach
Vicente Gómez
Alberto Bosch
Hlib Platov
Goalkeeping coach Rustam Khudzhamov
Fitness coach Javier Lurueña

Coaching history

No.ManagerNationUkraine careerQualifying cycleFinal tour
1Viktor Prokopenko1992
Mykola Pavlov
Leonid Tkachenko
1992
2Oleh Bazylevych1993–19941996
Mykola Pavlov
Volodymyr Muntyan
1994
Yozhef Sabo19941996
3Anatoliy Konkov19951996
4Yozhef Sabo1996–19991998, 2000
5Valeriy Lobanovskyi2000–20012002
6Leonid Buryak2002–20032004
7Oleg Blokhin2003–20072006, 20082006
8Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko2008–20092010
9Myron Markevych[48] 2010
Yuriy Kalytvyntsev[49] 2010–2011
10Oleg Blokhin[50] 2011–201220142012
Andriy Bal[51] 20122014
Oleksandr Zavarov2012
11Mykhaylo Fomenko[52] 2012–20162014, 20162016
12Andriy Shevchenko2016–20212018, 2020, 20222020
13Oleksandr Petrakov2021–20232022
Ruslan Rotan20232024
14Serhiy Rebrov2023–20242024

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for UEFA Euro 2024.[53]

Caps and goals updated as of 26 June 2024, after the match against Belgium.[54] [55] [56] [57]

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months.

Notes

Previous squads

Player records

See main article: List of Ukraine international footballers.

[54] [58] [56] [57]

Players in bold are still active with Ukraine.

Most appearances

width=25pxRankwidth=150pxPlayerwidth=50pxCapswidth=50pxGoalswidth=100pxPeriod
1Anatoliy Tymoshchuk1444
2Andriy Yarmolenko122462009–present
3Andriy Shevchenko111481995–2012
4Andriy Pyatov10202007–2022
5Ruslan Rotan10082003–2018
6Oleh Husiev98132003–2016
7Oleksandr Shovkovskyi9201994–2012
8Yevhen Konoplyanka87212010–2023
9Taras Stepanenko8542010–present
10Serhiy Rebrov75151992–2006

Top goalscorers

width=25pxRankwidth=175pxPlayerwidth=50pxGoalswidth=50pxCapswidth=50pxAveragewidth=100pxPeriod
1Andriy Shevchenko48111
2Andriy Yarmolenko461222009–present
3Yevhen Konoplyanka21872010–2023
4Roman Yaremchuk16532018–present
5Serhiy Rebrov15751992–2006
6Viktor Tsyhankov13552016–present
Oleh Husiev13982003–2016
8Serhiy Nazarenko12562003–2012
9Yevhen Seleznyov11582008–2018
10Artem Dovbyk10312021–present

Most capped goalkeepers

.

width=25pxRankwidth=175pxPlayerwidth=50pxGameswidth=50pxWinswidth=50pxwidth=50pxwidth=100pxPeriod
1Andriy Pyatov10251832007–2022
2Oleksandr Shovkovskyi923880
3Heorhiy Bushchan185302020–present
4Andriy Lunin137112018–present
Anatoliy Trubin135142021–present
6Oleh Suslov127151994–1997
7Vitaliy Reva93102001–2003
8Andriy Dykan85112010–2012
Maksym Levytskyi81102000–2002
10Denys Boyko7372014–present
Dmytro Tyapushkin71111994–1995

Captains

See also: List of Ukraine national football team captains. .[59]

width=25pxRankwidth=160pxPlayerwidth=90pxCaptain Capswidth=90pxTotal Capswidth=100pxPeriod
1Andriy Shevchenko58111
2Anatoliy Tymoshchuk411442000–2016
3Oleh Luzhnyi39521992–2003
4Andriy Yarmolenko281222009–present
5Ruslan Rotan241002003–2018
Andriy Pyatov241022007–2022
7Yuriy Kalitvintsev13221995–1999
Oleksandr Holovko13581995–2004
9Oleksandr Shovkovskyi12921994–2012
10Oleksandr Kucher8572006–2017

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

See main article: Ukraine at the FIFA World Cup.

Champions   Runners-up   Third place  

FIFA World Cup recordQualification record
YearRoundPositionSquadOutcome
1930 to 1990 as Part of 1930 to 1990 as Part of
as as
1994FIFA member from 1992. Not admitted to the tournament.FIFA member from 1992. Not admitted to the tournament.Qualifying spot not granted by FIFA
1998Did not qualify
126331192nd in qualifying group 9, lost to Croatia in play-off
20021246215132nd in qualifying group 5, lost to Germany in play-off
2006Quarter-finals8th521257Squad127411871st in qualifying group 2
2010Did not qualify126422172nd in qualifying group 6, lost to Greece in play-off
2014127323072nd in qualifying group H, lost to France in play-off
2018105231393rd in qualifying group I
20221036114102nd in qualifying group D, lost to Wales in play-off
2026To be determinedTo be determined
2030
2034
TotalQuarter-finals5212578038281412262

UEFA European Championship

See main article: Ukraine at the UEFA European Championship.

Champions   Runners-up   Third place  

UEFA European Championship recordQualification record
YearRoundPositionOutcome
as as
1996Did not qualify1041511154th in qualifying group 4
2000125611672nd in qualifying group 4, lost to Slovenia in play-off
2004824211103rd in qualifying group 6
20081252518164th in qualifying group B
2012Group stage12th310224Host nationQualified as host nation
201624th300305127231753rd in qualifying group C, won against Slovenia in play-off
2020Quarter-finals8th52036108620174Winner of qualifying group B
2024Group stage17th3111241062215103rd in qualifying group C, won against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland in play-offs
2028To be determinedTo be determined
2032
TotalQuarter-finals4/81441910237235191810567

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
SeasonDivisionGroupwidth=28width=28width=28width=28width=28width=28width=28width=28
2018–19B143015514th
2020–21A4620451313th
2022–23B1632110422nd
2024–25B1To be determined
Total16826202213th

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Ukraine's all-time international record, correct as of 26 June 2024.[60] [61] [62]

style="background: #CCFFCC;" width="20"
Positive balance (more wins)
Neutral balance (equal W/L ratio)
Negative balance (more losses)
AgainstConfederationPlayedWonDrawnLostGFGAGD
UEFA6 5 1 0 13 4 +9
UEFA4 4 0 0 17 0 +17
UEFA10 7 3 0 25 8 +17
UEFA3 1 0 2 4 5 −1
UEFA2 1 1 0 6 0 +6
AFC1 0 1 0 1 1 0
UEFA9 5 3 1 12 5 +7
UEFA1 0 1 0 0 0 0
UEFA3 2 1 0 5 2 +3
CONMEBOL1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
UEFA6 3 3 0 8 3 +5
CAF1 0 1 0 0 0 0
CONCACAF1 0 1 0 2 2 0
CONMEBOL1 1 0 0 2 1 +1
CONCACAF1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
UEFA9 1 3 5 5 15 −10
UEFA4 2 1 1 9 5 +4
UEFA5 2 2 1 4 6 −2
UEFA3 1 1 1 2 2 0
UEFA10 1 3 6 4 16 −12
UEFA5 5 0 0 11 0 +11
UEFA2 2 0 0 7 0 +7
UEFA4 3 1 0 6 3 +3
UEFA12 1 5 6 8 23 −15
UEFA9 6 3 0 16 6 +10
UEFA10 0 5 5 10 20 −10
UEFA6 2 2 2 4 3 +1
UEFA2 0 0 2 2 5 −3
UEFA5 2 2 1 5 5 0
AFC1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
UEFA6 2 3 1 7 5 +2
UEFA10 0 3 7 4 17 −13
AFC3 2 0 1 3 2 +1
UEFA6 4 2 0 12 6 +6
UEFA2 2 0 0 5 0 +5
UEFA3 2 1 0 3 1 +2
CAF2 1 1 0 4 1 +3
UEFA10 7 1 2 20 8 +12
UEFA5 5 0 0 12 1 +11
UEFA3 2 0 1 4 2 +2
CONCACAF1 0 0 1 1 2 −1
UEFA6 4 2 0 10 3 +7
UEFA2 1 0 1 4 1 +3
CAF1 0 1 0 0 0 0
UEFA3 0 1 2 3 7 −4
CAF1 1 0 0 2 1 +1
CAF1 0 1 0 2 2 0
UEFA6 3 2 1 4 3 +1
UEFA7 5 1 1 10 4 +6
UEFA5 4 1 0 5 0 +5
UEFA10 3 2 5 10 14 −4
UEFA4 2 1 1 4 3 +1
UEFA2 1 1 0 2 1 +1
UEFA7 2 1 4 10 17 −7
UEFA2 1 1 0 4 3 +1
UEFA2 2 0 0 17 0 +17
AFC2 1 1 0 5 1 +4
UEFA5 2 1 2 6 7 -1
UEFA7 6 1 0 16 3 +13
UEFA10 5 3 2 13 12 +1
UEFA6 1 3 2 7 7 0
AFC2 0 0 2 0 3 −3
UEFA7 1 1 5 4 14 −10
UEFA4 3 1 1 6 4 +2
UEFA3 1 2 0 4 3 +1
CAF1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
UEFA9 2 3 4 9 11−2
AFC1 0 1 0 1 1 0
CONCACAF4 3 1 0 5 1 +4
CONMEBOL1 0 0 1 2 3 −1
AFC2 2 0 0 4 1 +3
UEFA4 1 2 1 3 3 0
Total: 72 nations 5/6313 144 89 82 436 269 +167

FIFA Ranking history

199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007
907771594947273445456057401330
200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020202021
152234554718252930352824242425

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Member associations - Ukraine - Profile – UEFA.com. uefa.com. UEFA.com.
  2. Web site: Buy Replica Football & Soccer Jerseys from China. Ukrainian Football.
  3. http://www.ukrsoccerhistory.com/index.aspx?page=nt_before1992 Ukrainian Soccer History website
  4. https://gx.net.ua/history-harkov/5-iyunya-v-istorii-harkova-otkryt-samyj-bolshoj-v-strane-stadion.html 5 июня в истории Харькова: открыт самый большой в стране стадион
  5. http://dinamo.kharkiv.ua/ru/istoriya-6/ САМЫЕ ПЕРВЫЕ ШАГИ
  6. Web site: Home - Global Info4. 2 March 2023.
  7. Web site: RSSSF European Championship 1988 – Final Tournament – Full Details . Rsssf.com . 2011-12-07.
  8. Web site: The first match in the history of the national team of Ukraine: how it was 29 years ago ... - Official site of Ukrainian Football Association. en.uaf.ua.
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20150726235449/http://www.rusteam.permian.ru/history/1992.html 1992 season of the Russian national football tean
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20161029181244/http://fanat.ua/national/15.html In captivity of emotions and ambitions (В плену у эмоций и амбиций)
  11. http://fanat.ua/national/18.html Slovenians surprised and got surprised (Словенцы удивили и удивились)
  12. http://fanat.ua/national/20.html Hopes are new, yet result is erstwhile (Надежды новые, результат прежний)
  13. http://fanat.ua/national/21.html To make [necessary] conclusions and [continue] to work (Сделать выводы и работать)
  14. http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKL0689781720071206 Soccer-Blokhin quits as Ukraine coach
  15. https://archive.today/20120717161206/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=490600&cc=5739 FK Moscow hire former Ukraine manager Blokhin
  16. Web site: Ukraine decides not to renew coach's contract. Kyiv Post. 23 December 2009. 16 February 2021.
  17. Web site: Markevich leaves Ukraine helm on UEFA.COM. 4 September 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100904235010/http://nl.uefa.com/uefaeuro2012/news/newsid=1518482.html . 4 September 2010 .
  18. Web site: Akhmetov claims Surkis not doing his job professionally. Get the Latest Ukraine News Today - KyivPost. 18 February 2010 .
  19. https://web.archive.org/web/20110426133526/http://football.uk.reuters.com/leagues/european/news/2011/04/21/LDE73K1AD.php Oleg Blokhin appointed Ukraine coach
  20. https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/national/1349536811-andriy-bal-priznacheniy-v-o-golovnogo-trenera-zbirnoyi-ukrayini.html Andriy Bal is appointed an acting head coach of Ukraine national team (Андрій Баль призначений в.о. головного тренера збірної України)
  21. https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/sport/ukraines-football-federation-taps-fomenko-to-coach-national-team-318175.html Ukraine’s football federation taps Fomenko to coach national team
  22. https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/sport/183175.html Fomenko to continue working with Ukraine's national football team until end of 2015
  23. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36803667 Andriy Shevchenko: Ukraine appoint former AC Mlian and Chelsea striker as manager
  24. News: Hlyvynskyi . Oleksandr . Official: League of Nations game Switzerland - Ukraine canceled - Official site of the Ukrainian Football Association . . 17 November 2020 . 17 November 2020 .
  25. Web site: UEFA.com . 2020-11-17 . Ukraine's UEFA Nations League fixture with Switzerland cannot take place . 2024-06-19 . UEFA.com . en.
  26. Web site: 2020-11-25 . UEFA ruling relegates Ukraine from Nations League top tier . 2024-06-19 . AP News . en.
  27. Web site: 2021-03-19 . Ukraine legal loss to UEFA means Nations League relegation . 2024-06-19 . AP News . en.
  28. Web site: UEFA.com. France-Ukraine European Qualifiers. 2021-03-25. UEFA.com. en.
  29. Web site: Shevchenko announces end of Ukraine contract. 1 August 2021. MARCA.
  30. Web site: Officially. UAF Executive Committee appoints Oleksandr Petrakov acting head coach of the national team of Ukraine - Official site of the Ukrainian Football Association.
  31. News: Decisions taken concerning FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifiers . . 8 March 2022 . 8 March 2022.
  32. Web site: Dafydd Pritchard . Wales 1–0 Ukraine: Wales overcame another monumental effort from Ukraine to qualify for their first World Cup since 1958 on a night of high emotion and drama in Cardiff . BBC Sport . 5 June 2022 .
  33. Web site: 21 November 2023 . Ukraine – Italie. Le penalty non sifflé contre la Nazionale déclenche la polémique en Italie . Ouest-France.
  34. Web site: Ukraine 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mar 21, 2024) Game Analysis . 2024-05-14 . ESPN . en.
  35. Web site: 26 March 2024 . L'Ukraine sera à l'Euro grâce à sa victoire sur l'Islande en barrages . L'Équipe.
  36. News: Ukraine joy as Mudryk sends them to Euro 2024 . 2024-05-14 . BBC Sport . en-GB.
  37. Web site: 2022-05-13 . UKRAINE WILL PLAY TWO HOME MATCHES OF THE NATIONS LEAGUE IN LODZ IN JUNE .
  38. Web site: Новую форму сборной первым примерил Ракицкий (+фото) (New uniform for the National team was first fitted by Rakytsky with photo) . 29 March 2010. ua.football. Globalinfo (Kyiv, Ukraine). ru.
  39. Web site: Ukraine 09/10 Adidas football kits . 6 February 2009 . 11 June 2009 . footballshirtculture.
  40. Web site: Joma, Official Technical Sponsor of Football Federation of Ukraine. www.joma-sport.com. 17 March 2017 .
  41. Web site: Спонсор збірної України пообіцяв $2 млн. за вихід на ЧС-2014 - Факти. 22 January 2013.
  42. Web site: about the company epicenter. forbes.ua. November 2022 .
  43. . Youtube channel of FFU.
  44. Web site: Спонсори збірної України, їх статуси і класифікація. Внешние. источники. 6 June 2006.
  45. http://fanat.ua/programa/4_sborna/4_007.html Announcement of the game Ukraine vs Estonia
  46. http://fanat.ua/national/12.html Ukraine 3:1 Belarus (Украина Белоруссия 3:1)
  47. Web site: National team coaching staff - Official site of Ukrainian Football Association.
  48. Web site: Copy of the document for the resignation . 2011-12-07.
  49. Web site: Збірну довірили Калитвинцеву (National team was entrusted to Kalitvintsev) . 25 August 2010. www.ffu.org.ua. uk.
  50. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,19692_6888233,00.html Ukraine appoint Blokhin
  51. http://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/national/50704c2b.html Андрій Баль призначений в.о. головного тренера збірної України (Andriy Bal is appointed acting head coach of the Ukrainian national team)
  52. http://www.kyivpost.com/content/sport/ukraines-football-federation-taps-fomenko-to-coach-national-team-318175.html Ukraine's football federation taps Fomenko to coach national team
  53. News: 16 May 2024 . Сергій Ребров оголосив склад національної команди України на підготовчий збір і товариські матчі перед Євро-2024 . Serhii Rebrov announces the squad of the national team of Ukraine for the preparatory training camp and friendly matches before Euro 2024 . uk . . 30 May 2024.
  54. Web site: Ukraine (2021). Benjamin. Strack-Zimmermann. National Football Teams.
  55. Web site: Ukraine - Record International Players. RSSSF.
  56. Web site: Kopanyi-Myach.info - Літопис українського футболу. www.kopanyi-myach.info.
  57. Web site: Most Ukraine Caps. EU-Football.info.
  58. Web site: Mamrud . Roberto . Ukraine - Record International Players . RSSSF.
  59. Web site: Шевчук – 25-й у історії збірної України капітан. Іван. Вербицький. 30 May 2016. uk.
  60. Web site: All matches . ffu.org.ua . 6 November 2019.
  61. Web site: All-time Ukraine national football team international record. eu-football.info. 23 November 2019.
  62. Web site: Ukraine - Historical results. worldfootball.net. 25 March 2023 .