Women’s football in Ukraine has never been developed – in this country, it is a totally male sport. If the men do not have really outstanding success in discipline, then the women are ready: the local national team went to the Euro once in its history – in 2009. Having won a minimal victory over the hosts, the Finnish women and the Ukrainian women scored their only points at major tournaments but still took the last place in the quartet. They still only dream about the World Cup.
When full-scale war broke out in 2022, it seemed like everything would stop for a very long time, especially women’s football. Ukraine wanted to host Euro 2025, among other contenders, but in the new conditions it no longer seemed possible. However, the team did not go anywhere – it took part in the qualification to go to the final tournament in Switzerland. The courage of these women who cannot play home matches at home is inspiring. If you want to bet on them, go to Melbet Ghana apk.
The Way Through The League Of Nations
In European women’s football, the Nations League is much more important than in men’s – here, it plays the role of seeding for the draw of the qualifying cycle. You can start in any division, the main thing is to show yourself worthily against the background of those opponents who will be presented by the draw.
In a certain sense, Ukrainian women are lucky: the drawing of the League of Nations 2023 took place in May of the same year, when the world community already understood that Ukraine exists and will exist, and the team will be able to play, even when hosting opponents in neutral stadiums. If the selection had been drawn at the very beginning of the invasion, it is likely that the blue and yellow national team would have missed it.
The Ukrainian women, ranked 26th among European national teams, were supposed to play in League B. The format is as follows: six matches in the quartet are held from September to December 2023. Winning the group would give a direct ticket to division A (for the qualifying round of the Euro), and the last place would mean relegation to C. The third position was also accompanied by the risk of relegation due to head-to-head matches. At the same time, from the conditional group A1 of the main qualification, the seed automatically enters at least the additional playoff for a ticket to the continental competition, and in C1, only the winner of the subgroup has such an advantage, and then as an unseeded.
Ukraine’s rivals were Poland, Serbia and Greece. The Ukrainian women started with three defeats, losing them all. It would seem that you could put down your hands and finish the tournament with an experimental team, but the team’s situation, which seemed hopeless, only benefited them – they relaxed. In the fourth round, she managed to stun the Greek woman and score 3 points. The Poles did not leave their opponents a chance in the return match either, but in the decisive game, they managed to win an away victory over the Serbs. The blue-yellow team got 6 points, while the Hellenes were never able to repeat their success in face-to-face meetings – and took the last position.
The third place allowed them to play contact matches in order to remain in the B division with only three national teams out of four quartets. Slovakia scored 8 points in its group, Northern Ireland – 7, while Ukraine got only 6. Slovenia came to the rescue – the girls there had a worse goal difference for the same number of points. The Ukrainian woman managed to jump into the last carriage of the train, which, it would seem, had left – but now, in February 2024, it was necessary to overcome the Bulgarian woman. There were no problems with this – 7:0 based on the results of two meetings.
Main Qualifying Round
Having retained its place in Division B, Ukraine received the following conditions for qualification:
- quartet B4 with rivals from Wales, Croatia, Kosovo;
- six matches with them during April-July 2024;
- without a direct ticket to the Euro for group members, but with the possibility of entering the playoffs as a seeded team in case of winning the quartet or the second place among the two best such national teams;
- entry to the playoffs for a ticket as an unseeded team from the third place, or even from the second, if the national team is among the worst such teams;
- you can get to the playoffs even from the last place, provided that you become the best among the losers, while the Swiss national team in its quartet must finish no lower than third position.
The Ukrainian women will start against Kosovo, but the result of this match is not easy to predict – there is no history in the confrontation, it will be the first meeting between the two national teams. Next – the Croatians: if in men’s football Croatia is truly magnificent, then in women’s football Ukraine has two wins and a draw in three games; however, the opponents last crossed paths back in 2019. Similar statistics – and against the Welsh women: one victory and peace, without defeats, but in matches ten years ago.
It seems that the qualifying group for Ukrainian women is almost easier than the quartet in the League of Nations. At the very least, one must occupy one of the first three places in order to understand that the fate of a ticket to the Euro will be decided in the playoffs. Of course, it is better to become seeded – this will allow you to get potentially weaker rivals. To do this, you need to score as many points as possible, ideally – to win your group.
Only the upcoming matches will show whether the women’s national team of Ukraine lived up to the expectations of its fans and whether it was able to reach the final part of the Euro. Nevertheless, brave women who, even in the conditions of war, continue to live and fight on the football field will undoubtedly inspire the whole world with their example. They will be forgiven even in the last place; if they show a better result and keep at least hope until the end, they will be carried in their arms.
