On Friday, September 5, Ukraine’s national team began their qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup which will take place next year in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Serhiy Rebrov’s side faced none other than the reigning World Cup runners-up – France. The match was played in Wrocław, Poland, at the Tarczyński Arena Wrocław.
The “Blue-and-Yellow” enjoyed strong support from the packed stands but the visitors quickly silenced them. In the 10th minute Bradley Barcola cut inside from the left and set up Michael Olise who struck precisely into the corner from just outside the penalty spot – 0:1.
It's noteworthy that Rebrov’s men did not give up and had several chances to equalize. The second half was especially promising: Artem Dovbyk’s header was cleared off the line by a defender and later Illia Zabarnyi redirected Ivan Kalyuzhnyi’s shot onto the post.
However France capitalized late on. In the 82nd minute after a clearance from their own half Kylian Mbappé outran Illya Zabarnyi and doubled Les Bleus’ lead with a composed finish inside the box – 0:2.
There were no further changes to the scoreline but one memorable moment came in the 87th minute: Dynamo Kyiv’s Nazar Voloshyn replaced Oleksandr Zinchenko, making his debut for the senior national team.
2026 World Cup Qualifiers
Ukraine – France – 0:2 (0:1)
Ukraine: Trubin – Konoplia, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko (Voloshyn, 87) – Yarmoliuk (Ocheretko, 82), Kalyuzhnyi, Sudakov (Bondarenko, 82) – Zubkov (Nazarenko, 76), Dovbyk (Vanat, 76), Hutsulyak.
France: Maignan – Koundé (Gusto, 90+2), Konaté, Upamecano, Digne – Koné, Tchouaméni, Barcola (Rabiot, 76), Olise (Akliouche, 90+2), Doué (Dembélé, 46; Ekitike, 81) – Mbappé.
Goals: Olise (10), Mbappé (82).
Ukraine will play their next qualifier on Tuesday, September 9, in Baku against Azerbaijan who suffered a crushing 0:5 away defeat to Iceland in their opening match.
* Photo UAF
