Qualifying for the UEFA Regions’ Cup, Europe’s top competition for amateur players, begins on Monday with eight teams eventually to reach next June’s finals. Zagreb of Croatia won the 2016/17 edition.
How it works
- In all cases national qualifiers are held to decide the representatives for each association. San Marino and Malta enter national amateur teams rather than regional selections. The regional teams are only confirmed so far for the groups playing in June, others are indicated in the groups by associations.
- There are three preliminary round groups playing until 23 July, with the teams finishing first and the two best runners-up progressing to the intermediate round.
- The winners of the eight intermediate round groups, played as mini-tournaments from 14 June until later in the year, will compete in the finals next June, hosted by one of the qualifiers.
The groups
Preliminary round
Group A (4–10 June): South Wales (WAL)*, Evia (GRE), Amateurs FYR Macedonia (MKD), Gothenburg (SWE)
Group B (5–11 June): Buzau (ROU), Maribor (SVN)*, Chabonama (GEO), Central Scotland (SCO)
Group C (17–23 July): Kazakhstan, Israel, Lithuania*, Estonia
• Group winners and two best runners-up progress to the intermediate round.
Intermediate round
Group 1 (dates/hosts tbc): Russia, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Winner preliminary round Group A
Group 2 (dates tbc): Republic of Ireland, England, Slovakia*, Winner preliminary round Group B
Group 3 (dates tbc): Croatia*, France, Latvia, Winner preliminary round Group C
Group 4 (4–10 October): Turkey, Bulgaria*, Belarus, Preliminary round best runner-up
Group 5 (dates/hosts tbc): Germany, Serbia, Malta (MLT), Preliminary round second best runner-up
Group 6 (2–8 October): Spain, Ukraine*, Azerbaijan, Finland
Group 7 (14–20 June): West Region (HUN), Hradec Králove (CZE)*, East Sarajevo (BIH), San Marino (SMR)
Group 8 (9–15 October): Italy*, Poland, Switzerland, Moldova
*hosts, if confirmed
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