The Ukraine men’s national football team opens its 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign in Budapest on September 25, 2026, facing Hungary at the Puskás Aréna under newly appointed head coach Andrea Maldera.
The Ukraine men’s national football team begins its competitive autumn schedule on September 25, 2026, traveling to Budapest to face Hungary at the Puskás Aréna. The opening match of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League group stage will kick off at 21:45 Kyiv time.
This fixture marks a fresh chapter for the squad. It serves as the first official matches under Italian specialist Andrea Maldera, who took charge in May 2026 after replacing Serhiy Rebrov.
Group B2 Setup and Opening Fixtures in Budapest
Ukraine competes in League B, Group 2, alongside Hungary, Georgia, and Northern Ireland. The teams play a double-round-robin schedule with home and away fixtures. Following the opening match in Hungary, the schedule packs in three more fixtures during the same international break.
Ukraine travels to Tbilisi to face Georgia on September 28, 2026. Two nominal home matches follow in Trnava, Slovakia—against Northern Ireland on October 2 and Hungary on October 5—relocated due to the ongoing war with Russian forces. Group play concludes in the subsequent international window, with an away match against Northern Ireland on November 14 and a nominal home fixture against Georgia on November 17.
Bookmaker Odds and Previous Nations League Campaign
Bookmakers list the host nation as favorites for the opening encounter. Betting markets price a Hungary victory at 2.25, while a draw and an Ukraine win are both valued at 3.25.
In the previous Nations League cycle, Ukraine also competed in League B, finishing second in its group behind Czechia while ahead of Georgia and Albania. That finish earned the team a two-match promotion playoff against Belgium, where Ukraine fell short after losing 3:1 and 0:3.
Promotion and Relegation Rules for League B
- First place: Earns direct promotion to League A, the tournament’s top tier.
- Second place: Advances to promotion playoffs against a team from League A.
- Third place: Retains its position in League B.
- Fourth place: Enters relegation playoffs against a League C side to avoid dropping down.
Concurrently, Ukrainian club representation in European competitions narrowed recently. Kyiv’s Dynamo exited the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round after losing 2:0 on aggregate to Azerbaijani side Qarabağ, leaving Shakhtar Donetsk as the sole remaining Ukrainian representative in European play.
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