The draw for the Elite Stage of the 2020 European Championship at U17 level was made today at UEFA Headquarters in Nyon and sees Ireland drawn in Group 4 alongside the Czech Republic, Scotland and Slovakia. Scotland will host the mini-tournament, with the fixtures scheduled for the 25th, 28th and 31st March 2020. The venues will be confirmed shortly. The Championship finals are scheduled for Estonia between the 21st May 2020 and the 6th June 2020.
The draw for the Qualifying Stage of the 2021 Tournament was also made with Ireland set to face Estonia, Northern Ireland and Slovakia in Group 3. The fixtures will take place on the 21st, 24th, and 27th October 2020 and Ireland will host the mini-tournament at venues to be confirmed.
The draw for the Qualifying Stage of the 2021 U19 Championship was also made with Ireland drawn in Group 7 in company with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia and Poland. The fixtures are scheduled for the 11th, 14th and 17th November 2020 and the mini-tournament will be hosted by Ireland at venues to be confirmed.
The U19 competition is set to undergo a structure change which will be implemented for the 2022 Championship. The qualification process will take place over a two year cycle with promotion and relegation being implemented during the qualifying stage. The new format will commence next Autumn and Ireland have been drawn in Group A1 with Croatia, Holland and Turkey who will host the mini-tournament on the 11th, 14th and 17th November 2020. The players participating in this competition will, at commencement, be from the U18 group and Andy Reid will be in charge of the Ireland squad.