Rainy start for Ukraine team: First images from France preparations
Photo: The Ukraine national team began preparations for the match against France (UAF)
On September 2, the Ukraine national football team held its first training session in the Polish town of Opalenica as part of a preparatory camp ahead of the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, reports the official website of the national Football Association.
How the first session went
The training took place in the rain, but Serhii Rebrov's players actively worked on physical conditioning and tactical exercises.
The team trained in a lighter mode, splitting into several groups: some players focused on recovery, while others took part in game exercises.
Training of the Ukraine national team (photo: UAF)
Schedule ahead of France
On Wednesday, September 3, the team will continue working according to plan.
On September 4, the team will move to Wrocław. Traditional pre-match events will take place at the Tarczyński Arena: a press conference with head coach Serhii Rebrov and one of the players (8:45 PM Kyiv time), as well as an open training session.
Opening matches of the qualifiers
Ukraine will begin its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a match against France on September 5 in Wrocław. Kick-off is at 9:45 PM Kyiv time.
After the first qualifier, the Blue-and-yellows will remain in Poland and then travel to Baku on September 7. There, on September 9, Ukraine will face Azerbaijan. The match will start at 7:00 PM Kyiv time.
Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers
Ukraine is in Group D of the European qualifying stage for the 2026 World Cup. The Blue-and-yellows will play in the group alongside France, Iceland, and Azerbaijan.
Ukraine's 2026 World Cup qualifying schedule:
- Ukraine – France (September 5, 9:45 PM Kyiv time, Wrocław)
- Azerbaijan – Ukraine (September 9, 7:00 PM Kyiv time, Baku)
- Iceland – Ukraine (October 10, 9:45 PM Kyiv time, Reykjavík)
- Ukraine – Azerbaijan (October 13, 9:45 PM Kyiv time, Kraków)
- France – Ukraine (November 13, 9:45 PM Kyiv time, Paris)
- Ukraine – Iceland (November 16, 7:00 PM Kyiv time, Warsaw)
At the end of the group stage, the winner will earn direct qualification for the World Cup, while the second-place team will play in the playoffs.
The final tournament of the 2026 World Cup, featuring 48 teams, will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Earlier, we reported how Ukrainian stars are preparing for the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
