Five attempts and five painful defeats – recalling the history of the “blue and yellows” in decisive battles for the World Cup
Today, the national team of Ukraine will attempt for the sixth time in its history to overcome the playoff qualification for the World Cup. So far, this stage has been a real stumbling block for our team: despite star-studded lineups and coaching changes, the ticket to the World Cup has yet to be secured through the playoffs.
RBC-Ukraine recounts the previous attempts of the “blue and yellows” to reach the World Cup through the playoffs.
Also read: Battle for the World Cup: Rebrov has decided on the lineup for the match Ukraine – Sweden
Seven World Cups – one final
The Ukrainian national team is playing in World Cup qualifiers for the eighth time in its history. Of the previous seven attempts, only one was successful.
In the qualification for the 2006 World Cup, the “blue and yellows” secured first place in their group and received a direct ticket to the tournament. At that time, in Germany, Oleg Blokhin’s team reached the quarterfinal stage.
Once again, in the qualification for the 2018 World Cup, the Ukrainians finished third in their group (behind Iceland and Croatia) and ended their campaign after the first stage of qualifying.
In the remaining five cases, our team attempted to qualify for the tournaments through the playoffs.
World Cup 1998: Croatian disappointment
Fortune first turned away from the Ukrainians during the qualification for the World Cup in France. The team led by Yozhef Sabо finished second in the group with Germany, ahead of Portugal.
However, in the playoffs, they faced the star-studded Croatia. After losing in Zagreb (0:2), the return match in Kyiv ended in a 1:1 draw, although the referee disallowed a clear goal by Vitaliy Kosovskiy that could have changed everything.
World Cup 2002: Dortmund nightmare
Under the guidance of Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukraine fell behind Poland, and in the playoffs faced Germany.
The first match at home gave hope (1:1), but the away game in Dortmund turned into a disaster. A crushing defeat of 1:4 (with a consolation goal by Andriy Shevchenko) left the “blue and yellows” without a trip to Japan and South Korea.
World Cup 2010: Donetsk tragedy against Greece
In the qualification for the World Cup in South Africa, Ukraine managed to surpass Croatia, finishing second after England. The draw in the playoffs pitted Oleksiy Mykhailichenko’s team against the Greeks, which was considered a stroke of luck.
After a goalless draw away, everything was supposed to be decided in Donetsk, but a narrow defeat of 0:1 shocked the entire country.
World Cup 2014: Fiasco in Paris
The era of Mykhailo Fomenko brought the most emotional playoffs. In the first match in Kyiv, the Ukrainians sensationally defeated France (2:0).
However, the return match at the Stade de France turned into a nightmare: a rout of 0:3 and the red card for Yevhen Khacheridi left Ukraine out of the Brazilian World Cup.
World Cup 2022: Dramatic finale in Wales
The last attempt took place under Oleksandr Petrakov. Due to the full-scale invasion, the matches were postponed to June 2022.
In the semifinal of the playoffs, Ukraine impressively defeated Scotland in Glasgow (3:1). But in the decisive match in Cardiff, they narrowly lost to Wales (0:1) due to a frustrating own goal by Andriy Yarmolenko and the incredible performance of the opposing goalkeeper.
This time, under the guidance of Serhiy Rebrov, the team has a chance to finally rewrite history. The first step must be taken in the game against Sweden.
Earlier, we reported that the Ukrainian national team presented a new kit ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
