Poland, home to Ukraine.
This is the case for millions of Ukrainian civilians who have found refuge there since the beginning of the conflict against Russia.
But now also from the national football team.
The Ukrainian selection will return to the fields in official competition next June during the play-offs of the 2022 World Cup against Scotland on June 1, then if successful on June 5 against Wales and finally the League of Nations. .
It is about 500 km from the Ukrainian border that the selection of Oleksandr Petrakov will play its Group B Nations League matches “at home”.
The selection will host Armenia (June 11) and Ireland (June 14) in Łódź, at the Władysław Król municipal stadium (18,000 seats), where ŁKS Łódź plays.
The federation recalled that Łódź was the city where the Ukrainian U20s were crowned world champions in 2019, under the management of Petrakov.
OFFICIAL:
UAF confirm that Ukraine will play their Nations League 'home' matches in Poland in the city of Łódź
The same city where Oleksandr Petrakov won the U20 WC in 2019 wa large amount of the current senior squad
Armenia (11 June) & Rep of Ireland (June 14) at LKS Arena pic.twitter.com/QsElQUmiNU
— Zorya Londonsk (@ZoryaLondonsk) May 13, 2022
On Wednesday May 11, the Ukrainian selection played its first match since the Russian invasion against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Composed only of players playing in the Ukrainian league, it won 2-1 against the German Bundesliga team.
This Friday, several players joined their selection such as Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham), Roman Yaremchuk (Benfica) or Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City) to prepare, precisely, the barrage against Scotland in Glasgow on June 1st.