Ukraine national football team

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 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 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.

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

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.

Another reason for the occurred harsh crisis in the Ukrainian football was lack of adequate funding of teams,[7] due to the general economic crisis that has affected all of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries.[7] There also was a reverse influx of players;[7] 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.[7]

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

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.[9]

Viktor Prokopenko, the first manager of the national team

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. Shortly after, the Ukrainian team lost some notable players to the CIS team that was playing its own friendly against the England in Moscow.[10]

Ukraine appointed another head coach, Oleh Bazylevych, who made his debut with the national team in the spring of 1993 in Odessa 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 lost 2–0 to Lithuania.[11] After a series of poor results, on 24 September, the Football Federation of Ukraine appointed Yozhef Sabo as an acting manager until the end of the year.

Yozhef Sabo

With the new manager, their next home game against Slovenia ended goalless.[12] They then beat Estonia 3–0,[13] before confirming Anatoliy Konkov as the new head coach on 5 January 1995.

Oleg Blokhin

Their away game to Croatia was a 4–0 loss, and they lost 3–0 to Italy.[14]

Ukraine participated in 1998 World Cup qualification, where the team was drawn into Group 9. Ukraine took second place, only behind Germany, and lost 3–1 on aggregate to Croatia.

In UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, Ukraine, assigned in Group 4, finished above Russia, thanks to an important draw in Moscow, but still only qualified for the playoff despite being undefeated. Ukraine then fell to Slovenia 3–2 on aggregate.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification saw Ukraine in Group 5. Yet, Ukraine suffered a home loss to Poland in their opening match, and a number of draws had resulted in Ukraine qualifying for the playoff again, losing to Germany, 5–2 on aggregate.

In UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying, Ukraine was assigned into Group 6, with Spain and Greece. Ukraine failed to qualify.

After Euro 2004 qualifying, Ukraine appointed Oleg Blokhin as the national team's head coach. 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 the 2006 World Cup, they were in the 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. Switzerland became the first team in World Cup history to be eliminated without conceding a goal throughout the tournament.

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.

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.

Ukraine in 2012

Ukraine before a match against Bulgaria, 14 December 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. In Donetsk, Ukraine was eliminated after a 2–0 loss to France and a 1–0 defeat to England.

Ukraine quaified 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, thus being eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Ukraine in 2015

In Euro 2016 qualifying, Ukraine were drawn against Spain, Slovakia, Belarus, Macedonia and Luxembourg. Despite having won all matches besides Spain, they finished third due to results against Spain and Slovakia. They defeated Slovenia in the playoff.

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.

Ukraine started off 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 2–0 away win against Kosovo. Losing to Croatia at home, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for their first time since UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying.

In the inaugural UEFA Nations League, Ukraine was drawn with 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, before ending with a 4–1 away loss to Slovakia.

Ukraine were placed in a tough group with Euro 2016 title holders Portugal, and Serbia. Against Portugal, centre-back Yaroslav Rakytskiy was absent due to his move to Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg and Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the Portuguese lineup. 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 cancelled 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.[15] Their game against Switzerland away was sequently 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 were to be handed a 1–0 victory. Eventually, UEFA decided that the match result would be 3–0 in favour of Switzerland, meaning that Ukraine had been officially relegated after just one season in League A.

Ukraine managed to qualify to the knockout stages in the European Championship for the first time in 2020, 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 against France in 2022 World Cup qualifying.[16] 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. They then 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 managed to qualify for the playoffs after a 2–0 win over Bosnia and a Finnish loss to France. Ukraine will face Scotland in the Group A playoff semifinals, postponed in March 2022 to June after Russia invaded the country in February.[17]

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

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ukraine national football team kits.

On 29 March 2010, Ukraine debuted a new Adidas kit.[18] This replaced the Adidas kit with a yellow base and the traditional Adidas three stripe with a snake sash which was used in 2009.[19] 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.[20]

Former crest.

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

• Title sponsor: Epicentr (since 2013)[21][22][23]
• Premium (General) sponsors: Chernihivske (since 1998)
• Official sponsors: Henkel (Ukraine), Adidas, Airline "MAU" (Ukraine International Airlines), NIKO (official Mitsubishi distributor in Ukraine), Boris clinic, Tour agency "Love Cyprus", Resort center "Grand Admiral Club"

Former title and general sponsors included Ukrtelecom, Kyivstar,[24] Nordex (Austria),[25][26] and Geoton.

As of 16 November 2021[30][31]

No.	Manager	Nation	Ukraine career	G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Qualifying cycle	Final tour
1	Viktor Prokopenko		1992	3	0	1	2	2	5	−3	000.00
C	Mykola Pavlov		1992	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
2	Oleh Bazylevych		1993–1994	11	4	3	4	13	14	−1	036.36	1996
C	Mykola Pavlov		1994	2	0	0	2	0	3	−3	000.00
3	Yozhef Sabo		1994	2	1	1	0	3	0	+3	050.00	1996
4	Anatoliy Konkov		1995	7	3	0	4	8	13	−5	042.86	1996
5	Yozhef Sabo		1996–1999	32	15	11	6	44	26	+18	046.88	1998, 2000
6	Valeriy Lobanovskyi		2000–2001	18	6	7	5	20	20	+0	033.33	2002
7	Leonid Buryak		2002–2003	19	5	6	8	18	23	−5	026.32	2004
8	Oleg Blokhin		2003–2007	46	21	14	11	65	40	+25	045.65	2006, 2008	2006
9	Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko		2008–2009	21	12	5	4	31	16	+15	057.14	2010
10	Myron Markevych[32]		2010	4	3	1	0	9	3	+6	075.00
C	Yuriy Kalytvyntsev[33]		2010–2011	8	1	5	2	10	13	−3	012.50
11	Oleg Blokhin[34]		2011–2012	18	7	3	8	27	28	−1	038.89	2014	2012
C	Andriy Bal[35]		2012	2	0	1	1	0	1	−1	000.00	2014
C	Oleksandr Zavarov		2012	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
12	Mykhaylo Fomenko[36]		2012–2016	37	24	6	7	67	22	+45	064.86	2014, 2016	2016
13	Andriy Shevchenko		2016–2021	51	25	13	13	71	61	+10	049.02	2018, 2020, 2022	2020
14	Oleksandr Petrakov		2021–[lower-alpha 5]	7	2	5	0	10	7	+3	028.57	2022

The following players were called up for the training camp in May 2022 in Slovenia.[37]

Caps and goals updated as of 16 November 2021, after the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.[38][39][40][41]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
12	1GK	Andriy Pyatov (captain)	(1984-06-28) 28 June 1984	101	0	Shakhtar Donetsk
1	1GK	Heorhiy Bushchan	(1994-05-31) 31 May 1994	13	0	Dynamo Kyiv
	1GK	Anatoliy Trubin	(2001-08-01) 1 August 2001	2	0	Shakhtar Donetsk
23	1GK	Dmytro Riznyk	(1999-01-30) 30 January 1999	1	0	Vorskla Poltava
22	2DF	Mykola Matviyenko	(1996-05-02) 2 May 1996	47	0	Shakhtar Donetsk
21	2DF	Oleksandr Karavayev	(1992-06-02) 2 June 1992	40	1	Dynamo Kyiv
4	2DF	Serhiy Kryvtsov	(1991-03-15) 15 March 1991	30	0	Shakhtar Donetsk
13	2DF	Illya Zabarnyi	(2002-09-01) 1 September 2002	18	0	Dynamo Kyiv
	2DF	Yukhym Konoplya	(1999-08-26) 26 August 1999	3	0	Shakhtar Donetsk
	2DF	Viktor Korniyenko	(1999-02-14) 14 February 1999	2	1	Shakhtar Donetsk
	2DF	Denys Popov	(1999-02-17) 17 February 1999	1	0	Dynamo Kyiv
	2DF	Valeriy Bondar	(1999-02-27) 27 February 1999	1	0	Shakhtar Donetsk
	2DF	Oleksandr Syrota	(2000-06-11) 11 June 2000	1	0	Dynamo Kyiv
6	3MF	Taras Stepanenko	(1989-08-08) 8 August 1989	69	4	Shakhtar Donetsk
5	3MF	Serhiy Sydorchuk	(1991-05-02) 2 May 1991	47	3	Dynamo Kyiv
15	3MF	Viktor Tsyhankov	(1997-11-15) 15 November 1997	35	6	Dynamo Kyiv
10	3MF	Mykola Shaparenko	(1998-10-04) 4 October 1998	23	1	Dynamo Kyiv
14	3MF	Vitaliy Buyalskyi	(1993-01-06) 6 January 1993	9	0	Dynamo Kyiv
	3MF	Serhiy Buletsa	(1999-02-16) 16 February 1999	3	0	Zorya Luhansk
	3MF	Oleksandr Pikhalyonok	(1997-05-07) 7 May 1997	0	0	Dnipro-1
	3MF	Oleksiy Hutsulyak	(1997-12-25) 25 December 1997	0	0	Dnipro-1
	3MF	Mykhaylo Mudryk	(2001-01-05) 5 January 2001	0	0	Shakhtar Donetsk
19	4FW	Denys Harmash	(1990-04-19) 19 April 1990	31	2	Dynamo Kyiv
	4FW	Artem Besedin	(1996-03-31) 31 March 1996	18	2	Dynamo Kyiv
16	4FW	Artem Dovbyk	(1997-06-21) 21 June 1997	6	2	Dnipro-1

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Andriy Lunin	(1999-02-11) 11 February 1999	6	0	Real Madrid	v.  Bulgaria, 11 November 2021 RES
GK	Denys Boyko	(1988-01-29) 29 January 1988	7	0	Dynamo Kyiv	v.  Finland, 9 October 2021 WD
DF	Eduard Sobol	(1995-04-20) 20 April 1995	27	0	Club Brugge	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
DF	Oleksandr Tymchyk	(1997-01-20) 20 January 1997	10	0	Dynamo Kyiv	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
DF	Taras Kacharaba	(1995-01-07) 7 January 1995	1	0	Slavia Prague	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
DF	Vitaliy Mykolenko	(1999-05-29) 29 May 1999	21	0	Everton	v.  Bulgaria, 11 November 2021 INJ
DF	Artem Shabanov	(1992-03-07) 7 March 1992	2	0	Fehérvár	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 12 October 2021
DF	Bohdan Mykhaylichenko	(1997-03-21) 21 March 1997	6	0	Anderlecht	v.  Finland, 9 October 2021 RES
MF	Andriy Yarmolenko (vice-captain)	(1989-10-23) 23 October 1989	106	44	West Ham United	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
MF	Oleksandr Zinchenko	(1996-12-15) 15 December 1996	48	8	Manchester City	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
MF	Ruslan Malinovskyi	(1993-05-04) 4 May 1993	45	6	Atalanta	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
MF	Viktor Kovalenko	(1996-02-14) 14 February 1996	33	0	Spezia	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
MF	Oleksandr Zubkov	(1996-08-03) 3 August 1996	18	1	Ferencváros	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
MF	Ihor Kharatin	(1995-02-02) 2 February 1995	4	0	Legia Warsaw	v.  Bulgaria, 11 November 2021 RES
MF	Vladyslav Kocherhin	(1996-04-30) 30 April 1996	1	0	Raków Częstochowa	v.  Finland, 9 October 2021 RES
MF	Vladyslav Kalitvintsev	(1993-01-04) 4 January 1993	0	0	Oleksandriya	v.  Finland, 9 October 2021 RES
MF	Yevhenii Makarenko	(1991-05-21) 21 May 1991	15	0	Fehérvár	v.  Czech Republic, 8 September 2021
MF	Yevhen Konoplyanka	(1989-09-29) 29 September 1989	86	21	Cracovia	v.  Kazakhstan, 1 September 2021 RES
MF	Marlos	(1988-06-07) 7 June 1988	27	1	Athletico Paranaense	v.  England, 3 July 2021 RET
MF	Roman Bezus	(1990-09-26) 26 September 1990	24	5	Gent	v.  England, 3 July 2021
MF	Heorhiy Sudakov	(2002-09-01) 1 September 2002	3	0	Shakhtar Donetsk	v.  England, 3 July 2021
MF	Bohdan Lyednyev	(1998-04-07) 7 April 1998	0	0	Fehérvár	v.  Northern Ireland, 3 June 2021
MF	Artem Bondarenko	(2000-08-21) 21 August 2000	0	0	Shakhtar Donetsk	UEFA Euro 2020 PRE
MF	Volodymyr Shepelyev	(1997-06-01) 1 June 1997	7	0	Dynamo Kyiv	v.  Bahrain, 23 May 2021 INJ
MF	Oleksandr Andriyevskyi	(1994-06-25) 25 June 1994	1	0	Dynamo Kyiv	v.  Bahrain, 23 May 2021 INJ
FW	Roman Yaremchuk	(1995-11-27) 27 November 1995	36	12	Benfica	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2021
FW	Danylo Sikan	(2001-04-16) 16 April 2001	4	1	Hansa Rostock	v.  Bulgaria, 11 November 2021
COV = Withdrew due to COVID-19 INJ = Injured. WD = Withdrew. PRE = Preliminary squad. RES = Reserves squad - replaces a member of the squad in case of injury/unavailability. RET = Retired from the national team. SUS = Suspended for the next match. U21 = Joined the Ukraine national under-21 team instead.

• 2006 FIFA World Cup squad
• UEFA Euro 2012 squad
• UEFA Euro 2016 squad
• UEFA Euro 2020 squad

As of 16 November 2021

As of 16 November 2021[43]

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1990 as Part of  Soviet Union										1930 to 1990 as Part of  Soviet Union
as  Ukraine										as  Ukraine
1994	FIFA member from 1992. Not admitted to the tournament.[lower-alpha 6]									FIFA member from 1992. Not admitted to the tournament.[lower-alpha 6]
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									8	2	6	0	11	8	2022
2026										To be determined						2026
Total	Quarter-finals	1/8	5	2	1	2	5	7		78	37	28	13	119	60

* Denotes draws include knock-out matches decided on penalty kicks.

  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
1960 to 1992 as Part of  Soviet Union and  CIS										1960 to 1992 as Part of  Soviet Union and  CIS
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	12th	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	Quarter-finals	8th	5	2	0	3	6	10		8	6	2	0	17	4	2020
2024	To be determined									To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	3/8	11	3	0	8	8	19		62	29	17	16	90	57