UEFA Under-19 Championship 2026: The Future of Football comes to North Wales
BANGOR, WALES - 31 JANUARY 2026: General view during round 5 of the 2025/26 JD Welsh Cup fixture between Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Bangor City 1876 FC v Caerau Ely FC at Bangor City Stadium, Bangor, Wales (Pic by John Smith/FAW)
North Wales will host the 2026 UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals from 28 June to 11 July.
Wales was selected as the host country for the tournament by UEFA in September 2023. As the host country, Cymru will be joined by Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Spain and Ukraine. The finals will be used to celebrate the FAW’s 150th anniversary.
Chris Gunter will lead the Cymru team throughout the tournament, having been announced as Cymru MU19s head coach for the remainder of the 2025/26 season in January.
History of UEFA Under-19
Hosted in Norway, the first ever UEFA Under-19 tournament saw Spain win the first of nine titles making them the most successful side in UEFA Under-19 history. Netherlands are the reigning champions, having won the 2025 tournament.
The UEFA Under-19 Championship has hosted some of the biggest names in football including Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappè, Andrés Iniesta, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, David Silva, Fernando Torres, Bernardo Silva, Jérémy Doku, Harry Kane, Rodri and more.
Who will be playing?
The U19 EURO elite round decided the finalists for the summer, with the winners of each elite round group qualifying alongside Wales as the host nation. Participating in UEFA Under-19 Wales 2026 will be:
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Germany
- Italy
- Serbia
- Spain
- Ukraine
- Wales (hosts)
The elite round featured a high level of quality with players from clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, A.C. Millan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Bayern Munich taking part.
Ewrop’s rising stars will now travel to North Wales to participate in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final tournament.
Bangor City Stadium, The Oval, Caernarfon; Central Park, Denbigh; and the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham are the match venues for the tournament. Further training venues have been selected across North Wales.
£3m worth of investment into facilities was announced in 2024 to support the development of match and training venues ahead of UEFA Under-19 Wales 2026.
The Racecourse Ground holds a Guinness World Record for being the oldest international football stadium in the world. The Racecourse Ground will host all of Cymru’s group stage matches as well as a semi-final match and the UEFA U19 EURO final.
Home to Cymru Premier club Caernarfon Town, The Oval has received significant funding for UEFA Under-19 to install a top class playing surface and improvements to the surrounding facilities.
Central Park has undergone recent improvements to the playing surface and facilities. As well as being home to Denbigh Town FC since 1963, Central Park has hosted many intermediate international matches for both Cymru men’s and women’s teams.
With stunning views across the Menai Strait, Bangor City Stadium provides a unique setting for football matches. The venue has hosted UEFA club competition matches in addition to Cymru Women’s National Team and Men’s U21 international games.
Keep up to date with UEFA Under-19 Wales 2026
Learn more about the first men’s UEFA tournament to be held in Wales and stay up-to-date with the latest tournament updates including ticketing information at faw.cymru/u19euro and across the FAW’s social media channels.
The final draw will take place on Wednesday 16th April and will be available to watch via live stream.