The 2026 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification is an under-17 women's national football team competition that will determine the seven teams joining the automatically qualified host team Northern Ireland in the 2026 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship final tournament.
Five national teams decided not to participate in the event, and Russia were excluded from the tournament due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, including hosts Northern Ireland, 49 teams entered this qualification competition. The Round 1 of the qualification is being played from 24 September to 2 December 2025, while the Round 2 will be played in spring 2026. Players born on or after 1 January 2009 are eligible to participate.
Format
The qualification consists of two rounds, both with teams playing in two tiered leagues. Each round league consists of several groups, which are played as single-round-robin mini-tournaments, with one team from each group selected as the host after the draw.
Round 1:
League A: 28 teams were drawn into seven groups of four. The top three teams from each group will be transferred to Round 2 League A; teams that finished fourth will be relegated to Round 2 League B.
League B: 21 teams were drawn into six groups of three or four. The group winners and the best runner-up team will be promoted to Round 2 League A; the other teams will be transferred to Round 2 League B.
Round 2:
League A: 28 teams will be drawn into seven groups of four. The group winners will qualify for the final tournament. If Northern Ireland, as the host of the final tournament, wins one of these groups, the best runner-up team will also qualify. Teams that will finish fourth will be relegated to Round 1 League B for the next season.
League B: 21 teams will be drawn into six groups of three or four. The group winners and the best runner-up team will be promoted to Round 1 League A for the next season.
Tiebreakers
In a group, teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Articles 17.01 and 17.02):[1]
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Penalty shoot-out if only two teams have the same number of points, and they met in the last round of the group and are tied after applying all criteria above (not used if more than two teams have the same number of points, or if their rankings are not relevant for qualification for the next stage);
Disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
Position in the applicable ranking:
for teams in Round 1, position in the 2024–25 Round 2 league rankings;
for teams in Round 2, position in the Round 1 league rankings.
To determine the best runner-up team in League B, the results against the teams in fourth place are discarded and the following criteria are applied (Regulations Articles 18.01 and 18.03):[1]
Points;
Goal difference;
Goals scored;
Disciplinary points;
Position in the applicable ranking:
for teams in Round 1, position in the 2024–25 Round 2 league rankings;
for teams in Round 2, position in the Round 1 league rankings.
Round 1
Draw
The draw for the Round 1 was held on 5 June 2025, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[2]
The 49 participating teams were split into two Leagues (28 in League A, 21 in League B) according to their final group standings of Round 2 of the 2024–25 competition (Regulations Article 13.01).[1] To determine this ranking, the following criteria were followed:
higher position in the following classification:
Round 2 League A group winners
Round 2 League A group runners-up
Round 2 League A third-placed teams
Teams promoted from Round 2 League B
Teams relegated from Round 2 League A
Round 2 League B runners-up
Round 2 League B third-placed teams
Round 2 League B fourth-placed teams
higher number of points in all mini-tournament matches;
superior goal difference in all mini-tournament matches;
higher number of goals scored in all mini-tournament matches;
lower disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
higher position in the 2024–25 Round 1 league rankings.
Within each League, the teams were allocated to four drawing pots (seven teams per pot in League A; six teams in Pots 1 to 3 and three teams in Pot 4 in League B). Teams in the same pot would be drawn into different groups, with League A consisting of seven groups of four teams, and League B consisting of three groups of four and three groups of three teams.
As decided by the UEFA Executive Committee and the UEFA Emergency Panel, Belarus and Ukraine could not be drawn in the same group in League A.[2]
Teams entering League A
The 21 teams of the previous season's Round 2 League A (top three teams in each group) and the seven teams of Round 2 League B (six group winners and the best runner-up) were drawn into seven groups of four teams. The Round 2 League A group winners were automatically seeded into Pot 1, the second- and third-placed teams into Pots 2 and 3, respectively. The previous season's Round 2 League B teams were seeded into Pot 4; their matches against the fourth-placed teams in their group did not count towards this ranking (Regulations Article 13.02).[1]
Source: UEFA Rules for classification: 1) round 1 position; 2) points; 3) goal difference; 4) goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) position in the applicable rankings.
Teams entering League B
The seven fourth-placed teams of the previous season's Round 2 League A and the 14 non-promoted teams of Round 2 League B were drawn into six groups of three or four teams. The best six fourth-placed teams of Round 2 League A were automatically seeded into Pot 1. The seventh fourth-placed team of Round 2 League A and the runner-up teams of Round 2 League B were seeded into Pot 2. The third- and fourth-placed teams of the previous season's Round 2 League B were seeded into Pots 3 and 4, respectively. The matches of the second- and third-placed teams of Round 2 League B against the fourth-placed teams in their group did not count towards this ranking (Regulations Article 13.02).[1]
To determine the best runner-up team, only the results of the runner-up teams against the first- and third-placed teams in their group are taken into account (Regulations Article 18.01).[1]
Source: UEFA Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) disciplinary points; 5) position in the applicable rankings.
Round 2
Draw
The draw for the Round 2 will be held on 11 December 2025 at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[2]
The 49 participating teams will be split into two Leagues (28 in League A, 21 in League B) according to their final group standings of Round 1 (Regulations Article 15.01).[1]
Within each League, the teams will be allocated to four drawing pots (seven teams per pot in League A; six teams in Pots 1 to 3 and three teams in Pot 4 in League B). Teams in the same pot would be drawn into different groups, with League A consisting of seven groups of four teams, and League B consisting of three groups of four and three groups of three teams.
Teams entering League A
The 21 teams of Round 1 League A (top three teams in each group) and the seven teams of Round 1 League B (six group winners and the best runner-up) will be drawn into seven groups of four teams. The Round 1 League A group winners are automatically seeded into Pot 1, the second- and third-placed teams into Pots 2 and 3, respectively. The Round 1 League B teams are seeded into Pot 4; their matches against the fourth-placed teams in their group did not count towards this ranking (Regulations Article 15.01).[1]
Updated to match(es) played on 11 November 2025. Source: UEFA Rules for classification: 1) round 1 position; 2) points; 3) goal difference; 4) goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) position in the applicable rankings.
Teams entering League B
The seven fourth-placed teams of Round 1 League A and the 14 non-promoted teams of Round 1 League B will be drawn into six groups of three or four teams. The best six fourth-placed teams of Round 1 League A will be automatically seeded into Pot 1. The seventh fourth-placed team of Round 1 League A and the runner-up teams of Round 1 League B will be seeded into Pot 2. The third- and fourth-placed teams of Round 1 League B will be seeded into Pots 3 and 4, respectively. The matches of the second- and third-placed teams of Round 1 League B against the fourth-placed teams in their group did not count towards this ranking (Regulations Article 15.01).[1]
Updated to match(es) played on 11 November 2025. Source: UEFA Rules for classification: 1) round 1 position; 2) points; 3) goal difference; 4) goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) position in the applicable rankings.
League A
Times are CET (UTC+1) as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
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Iida Surakka 
Fanny Peterson 
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