2014 champions England under-17s will face the holders of the UEFA U-17 Euros France in a tough Group C, with the spring competition hosted in Azerbaijan this year.

2-time champions England have tough Group C with France

John Peacock, currently a coach at Derby County, guided the Young Lions to success in both 2010 and 2014. They'll be searching for a third tournament win, as will France. The neighbours are joined in Group C by another set of neighbours, Sweden and Denmark

Senior World Champions Germany haven't seen their under-17 side win the tournament since 2009 when Mario Gotze was named Player of the Tournament. The Germans will have a good chance of progressing beyond the groups thanks to a Group B containing UkraineBosnia and Herzegovina - in their first tournament - and Austria.

Germany's Jano Baxmann scores - Netherlands in Elite Round Qualifying | Photo: Getty Images via UEFA.com
Germany's Jano Baxmann scores - Netherlands in Elite Round Qualifying | Photo: Getty Images via UEFA.com

Hosts Azerbaijan will kick the tournament off on May 5th, although the exact schedule is yet to be announced. They have a tough group, having to beat BelgiumPortugal and Scotland in order to progress.

Group D of Death, 3 heavyweights

There will be a few fine matches in Group D where three heavyweights of youth football face each other. Italy haven't won the competition since it was changed to its current format over a decade ago while the Netherlands are looking for their third title win in six years, having won it consecutively in 2011 and 2012. Spain, meanwhile, could lift it for the ninth time while Serbia constantly make themselves a nuisance to supposed big boys of football.

Full group stage draw

Group A: Azerbaijan (hosts), Portugal, Belgium, Scotland

Group B: Ukraine, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Group C: France (holders), Denmark, England, Sweden

Group D: Italy, Serbia, Netherlands, Spain

Qualifying for England

Arsenal's Reiss Nelson was vital in qualifying, contributing to ten goals in just six matches. He netted six times as England scored 19 goals over the course of the qualifying phase and Elite Round to secure their place in Azerbaijan. They finished second in their Group, behind Ukraine on goal difference. VAVEL UK will have extensive coverage of the UEFA U-17 Euros.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Harry Robinson
Deputy Editor-in-Chief at VAVEL UK, and Manchester United Editor.