Cymru will compete in the UEFA European U17 Championship finals for the first time this month. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the tournament…
When and where are the finals taking place?
Hungary will stage the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals from 17 May to 2 June.
Which group are Cymru in?
Cymru were drawn in group A and will take on hosts Hungary, Republic of Ireland and Poland.
Group A: Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Cymru
Group B: Serbia, Spain, Italy, Slovenia
Group C: Portugal, France (holders), Scotland, Germany
Group D: Croatia, Netherlands, Switzerland, England
When will Cymru’s fixtures take place?
Hungary v Cymru – Wednesday 17th May – 19:00 BST
Republic of Ireland v Cymru – Saturday 20th May – 15:30 BST
Cymru v Poland – Tuesday 23rd May – 19:00 BST
Are Cymru’s matches televised?
Cymru’s group stage matches will be available to watch live on the BBC Sport website.
Hungary v Cymru – Live stream
Republic of Ireland v Cymru – Live stream
Cymru v Poland – Live stream
Where can I receive match updates?
Updates of all the matches will be available via the Cymru Twitter, while all the build up to the tournament can be found on the FAW’s online streaming platform RedWall+.
Who made the Cymru squad?
Cymru MU17: Alfie CUNNINGHAM (Exeter City), Alfie TUCK (Queens Park Rangers), Alyas DEBONO (Cardiff City), Brayden CLARKE (Wolves), Charlie CREW (Leeds United), Cody TWOSE (Cardiff City), Dylan LAWLOR (Cardiff City), Freddie ISSAKA (Plymouth Argyle), Gabriele BIANCHERI (Manchester United), Iwan MORGAN (Swansea City), Jacob COOK (Swansea City), Joe ANDREWS (Southampton), Joe HATCH (Plymouth Argyle), Josh BEECHER (Cardiff City), Kit MARGETSON (Swansea City), Lewys BENJAMIN (Cardiff City), Luey GILES (Cardiff City), Luke ARMSTRONG (Cardiff City), Rhys Allport (Crewe Alexandre) Rhys THOMAS (Manchester City), Sam PARKER (Swansea City), Troy PERRETT (Cardiff City).
How did Cymru qualify for the finals?
Cymru’s journey to the finals began in October 2022 with a 2-0 victory over Croatia in the qualifying round before a dramatic 3-3 draw with Sweden and goalless draw against Albania.
Craig Knight’s side were the only side to go unbeaten in their qualifying group and finished top to advance to the elite round, where they were drawn against Scotland, Iceland and Montenegro.
Cymru beat Scotland 4-2 at Rodney Parade in their elite round opener before a 1-1 draw with Iceland followed at Dragon Park three days later. Cymru knew a draw would be enough to qualify in their final game against Montenegro at Dragon Park but they were 2-0 down at the break after two quick-fire goals on the stroke of half time.
But second-half goals from Iwan Morgan and Dylan Lawlor ensured Cymru earned a draw and sealed the point they needed to top the group and reach the finals for the first time.
How does the tournament work?
The top two in each group will advance to the knockout phase, while the tournament will also act as UEFA’s qualifier for the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup later this year. The four semi-finalists will earn places along with the winners of a play-off for Europe’s fifth spot between the two beaten quarter-finals with the best record in the group stage.
