England U17 begin their UEFA U17 EURO 2027 qualifying campaign this Wednesday, 11 November, with their opening fixture against Montenegro. Barry Lewtas’ Young Lions will have home advantage, with all of the first-round fixtures being played at St George’s Park in Burton-upon-Trent. Kick-off is scheduled for 2pm GMT, with England aiming to start their campaign with a victory and take an early step towards securing a place in the second qualifying round.
The Young Lions step up to competitive action
This meeting with Montenegro represents England U17’s first competitive fixture of the season following an October training camp which featured four friendly matches. Barry Lewtas’ side recorded a positive return of three wins and one defeat, beating the Republic of Ireland (5-1), Israel (2-1) and Venezuela (1-0). Their final game, however, ended in a 3-2 defeat to Germany, despite goals from Reggie Watson and Mylo Bernard.
The October camp primarily gave the England head coach the opportunity to test different combinations and assess several players ahead of the start of the European qualifiers. The Young Lions must now quickly switch from a friendly environment to competitive football, with three fixtures to be played within the space of a week.
England can once again rely on several players who impressed during the previous international window. Heze Grimwade found the net against both the Republic of Ireland and Israel, while Josh Henry, Darren Motsi, Joshua Blake and Xavier Parker also got on the scoresheet during the emphatic victory over the Irish. Reggie Watson and Mylo Bernard, meanwhile, scored England’s two goals against Germany.
Lewtas has also retained much of his squad for this opening qualifying phase, with several key players returning after featuring in recent fixtures. The Young Lions can therefore count on a degree of continuity as they begin their campaign, while also welcoming two new faces to the group: Joshua Abe and Noah Smith. The former, a Liverpool forward, was previously called up to the England U16s last season and now steps up to the U17s. The latter, a Manchester City defender, has received his first-ever call-up to an England youth side.
A crucial first qualifying round
The format of the UEFA U17 EURO 2027 qualifiers also places significant importance on the three fixtures ahead. For the first round, the 54 participating nations have been divided into 14 groups of three or four teams. England have been drawn alongside Montenegro, Poland and Ukraine, with the top two sides in the group progressing to League A for the second round.
The objective is therefore clear for the Young Lions: finish in the top two and continue their qualifying campaign in spring 2027. England will also be able to make the most of home advantage throughout this phase, with all three fixtures taking place at St George’s Park. Following the meeting with Montenegro, England will face Poland on Saturday, 14 November at 2pm GMT, before concluding the first round against Ukraine on Tuesday, 17 November at 6.30pm. A victory on matchday one would put Lewtas’ side in a strong position ahead of their final two fixtures.
The second phase will then bring together the 28 teams that have secured their place in League A, split into seven groups of four. Only the group winners will qualify directly for the finals in Latvia. Should Latvia win their group, the best-ranked runners-up will also earn a place at the finals.
The England U17 starting XI to face Montenegro:
- Mikel Jack (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Emmanuel Fejokwu (Club Brugge)
- Josh Henry (Chelsea)
- George Jobling (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Samuel O’Brien (Manchester United)
- Xavier Parker (Manchester City)
- Reggie Watson (Chelsea)
- Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (Chelsea)
- Oscar Johnson (Aston Villa)
- Darren Motsi (Manchester City)
- Vincent Joseph (Liverpool)
