Guided by Serhiy Rebrov, Ukraine will make their fourth consecutive appearance at the European Championships this summer. The Blue and Yellow will get their tournament underway on June 17, facing neighbours Romania in Munich.
As EURO2024 edges nearer, here’s everything you need to know about Ukraine.
Now aged 50, head coach Serhiy Rebrov will be relishing the chance to return to Germany this summer. The forward, then playing for Dynamo Kyiv, participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in the country – which remains to this date the country’s sole appearance in the competition.
Scoring the second goal in a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia is certainly amongst his career highlights as a player, with the result ultimately seeing the Blue and Yellow through to the knockout stages. Rebrov scored the third of four penalty attempts as Ukraine edged past Switzerland to qualify for the quarterfinals, where they were sent packing by Italy in Hamburg.
Embed from Getty ImagesRebrov also enjoyed time in the Premier League, turning out for both Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, but the forward remains best known for his two successful spells with Dynamo Kyiv – a club he would later go on to manage between 2014 and 2017.
He was appointed as Ukraine’s head coach midway through their qualification campaign in June 2023, and has recorded a 53.85% win rate from his 13 matches in charge.
Ukraine qualified for EURO2024 by progressing through the play-off system, after finishing third in a tricky Group C that saw them pitted against both of the EURO2020 finalists. The Blue and Yellow embarked on their qualification journey in March 2023, with a 2-0 loss to England at Wembley Stadium not the worst of results given the uncertainty that surrounded the country at the time.
Routine wins against North Macedonia and Malta followed, but Ukraine’s best result of their Group C adventures came in early September, as they descended on Wroclaw to force a 1-1 draw with England. Oleksandr Zinchenko opened the scoring, though his former Manchester City teammate Kyle Walker restored parity just before the break.
A loss to Italy was followed by yet more wins against North Macedonia and Malta, leaving the Blue and Yellow capable of securing automatic qualification if they could edge past Italy in their second meeting on the final day. They settled for a goalless draw in Leverkusen though, with the Azzurri going through on goal difference.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd so, under the guidance of Serhiy Rebrov by this point, Ukraine turned their attention to the playoffs. Drawn against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Path B, their hopes of reaching EURO2024 looked to be dashed when Mykola Matviyenko found the back of his own net at the start of the second half – but an inspired comeback and goals from Roman Yaremchuk and Artem Dovbyk sealed a play-off final against Iceland.
Albeit not quite as dramatic as their semifinal clash, the Blue and Yellow mounted another comeback against Iceland to confirm their berth in Germany, as Viktor Tsyhankov and Mykhailo Mudryk rendered Albert Gudmundson’s earlier effort irrelevant.
Ukraine’s first of two pre-EURO2024 friendlies saw them face Germany in Nürnberg on Monday, 3 June. It was a match dominated by die Mannschaft, with Anatoliy Trubin the standout performer for Serhiy Rebrov’s side as they settled for a goalless draw.
Artem Dovbyk’s 41st-minute goal against Poland wasn’t enough to salvage a result during Ukraine’s final pre-EURO2024 clash, with the Blue and Yellow already trailing by three goals at that point.
Nonetheless, having been drawn in Group E, Ukraine should fancy their chances of reaching the round-of-sixteen in Germany this summer.
Opening their campaign in Munich on 17 June, Serhiy Rebrov’s men will face off against a Romanian side that perhaps shouldn’t be underestimated – they pipped Switzerland to claim top spot in their qualification group by five points!
Four days later, the Blue and Yellow head to West Germany to face Slovakia in Düsseldorf. The Falcons finished second in their respective EURO2024 qualifying group, but hit-and-miss form in their four friendlies since they sealed their spot in Germany will leave Ukraine feeling that this is a very winnable game.
It is their third and final group stage clash that could prove trickiest for Ukraine: facing Belgium in Stuttgart on June 26. The Red Devils are unbeaten since their 2-0 loss to Morocco at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and they’ll be keen to return to major tournament action on a high after that disappointing group stage exit.
BBC will broadcast all three of Ukraine’s group stage fixtures in Germany this summer, and we’ll also be providing detailed coverage of the Blue and Yellow right here at FromTheSpot.
Since making their debut EUROs appearance in 2012, when they qualified automatically as the joint-host nation, Ukraine have participated in every edition of the tournament. A disappointing group stage exit on home soil was followed by a trip to France that saw the Blue and Yellow unable to pick up a single point – but EURO2020 could prove to be a turning point.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was not an exceptional tournament by any means. Ukraine registered just one win in the group stage: a 2-1 win over North Macedonia in Bucharest, with that result sandwiched by losses to the Netherlands and Austria.
Still, it was enough to earn progression to the knockout stages by means of finishing as one of the best third-placed teams. They took the lead against Sweden in the round-of-sixteen after just 27 minutes, but an Emil Forsberg leveller before half-time left it all to play for.
Neither side could find a breakthrough in the second half, and with the scores still level after thirty minutes of added time, the Blue and Yellow’s fate looked destined to be decided on penalties – until Artem Dovbyk rifled home a 121th-minute strike to tee up a quarterfinal against England.
That was where it all unravelled for Ukraine though, as they were comprehensively swept aside by the Three Lions at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Gareth Southgate’s side recorded a 4-0 victory, barely breaking a sweat as a dominant second-half showing saw three goals added to Harry Kane’s early opener.
Faced with a group that they’ll fancy their chances of progressing from, Ukraine’s knockout football experience could prove vital this summer if they’re to build upon that quarterfinal appearance last time out.
The majority of this Ukrainian side play domestically, with Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk both fielding six representatives in Serhiy Rebrov’s 26-man squad.
Four Premier League stars are also included, with Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko captaining the side. He’s joined by Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk, Bournemouth’s Illya Zabarnyi and Everton’s Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Elsewhere, LaLiga has established itself as a hotbed for Ukrainian talent – with another four players plying their trade in Spain’s top flight. Artem Dovbyk will be crucial for the Blue and Yellow in front of goal, with Viktor Tsyhankov and Roman Yaremchuk also joined by Andriy Lenin.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Real Madrid shotstopper will face competition from Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin for that starting berth between the sticks though. We’d expect Lunin to be given the nod after playing a vital role in their qualification campaign, although Trubin was handed a start in a recent friendly against Germany.
We’ve just touched on it there, but Artem Dovbyk is perhaps the player to watch in this Ukrainian side throughout EURO2024. Now linked with a move to Chelsea that would see him link up with Mykhailo Mudryk for both club and country, the Girona forward netted 24 goals and a further eight assists in his debut LaLiga season.
If the six-foot-two talismanic striker can find that form in Germany, Serhiy Rebrov’s men will be capable of surpassing all expectations and it wouldn’t be outrageous to suggest that they could be in line to record their best-ever EUROs finish.
Don’t forget, FromTheSpot will keep you up-to-date on all of the latest EURO2024 action as it happens via our website and our X account.