England take on Ukraine in a top-of-the-table Euro 2024 qualifying game on Saturday night but fans are now wondering why the Group C contest is being played in Poland.
The Three Lions face the Blue and Yellow at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw in their fifth tie of Group C. Gareth Southgate’s team also go into the match with a six-point lead on Ukraine, who have only played three games. England are the only unbeaten nation in their group still.
Wins over Italy and Ukraine in March and victories over Malta and North Macedonia in June have pulled England clear. Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka sealed the Three Lions three points against the Blue and Yellow at Wembley. The forwards scored in the 37th and 40th minutes.
Ukraine now have a chance at revenge and a chance to improve their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 as England visit. The top two nations from each group will qualify for the finals in Germany next summer. Three further countries will reach Euro 2024 via the Nations League.
England are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Ukraine across all competitions dating back to October 2009, however. The Blue and Yellow beat Fabio Capello’s Three Lions 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Dnipro. It is Ukraine’s only win over England through nine meetings.
Ukraine vs England will be played in Poland
Ukraine will host this week’s Euro 2024 qualifier against England in Poland at the Tarczynski Arena. It is a 45,000-seater ground in Wroclaw, a city set beside the Oder River in the west of Poland. Wroclaw is renowned for the Market Square featuring the Gothic Old Town Hall.
But why is England’s Euro 2024 away qualifier against Ukraine being played in Poland? Well, it follows the Ukrainian Association of Football (UFA) moving all of its international fixtures overseas following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in February 2022.
Ukraine have already faced Armenia and the Republic of Ireland in Nations League games at Stadion Miejski in Bialystok, Poland. The Blue and Yellow also faced Scotland at the Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Stadium in Krakow. England will be Ukraine’s fourth fixture played in Poland.
Sergei Rebrov’s squad also played Malta back in June at the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho in Trnava, Slovakia. Ukraine last played in their country in November 2021 in a friendly against Bulgaria. Their last competitive game played in Ukraine was in October 2021 against Bosnia.
Why is the Euro 2024 qualifier in Poland?
The UFA likely chose to hold Ukraine’s Euro 2024 qualifying game against England in Poland due to the number of Ukrainians now residing in the country. Wroclaw, where the fixture is being played on September 9 at 17:00 BST, now boasts around 300,000 Ukrainian residents.
England further received a total allocation of 3,406 tickets for the clash at the 45,000-seater Tarczynski Arena. So, the tie is likely to be very popular with Ukraine’s fans located in Poland.