Cyprus youth national teams lose opening matches in UEFA championship qualifying

The Cyprus U-19 national team suffered a 4-0 defeat against Belgium in their opening match of the 2026-2027 European Championship qualifying held in Tubize. The goals for Belgium were scored by Kamara in the 30th minute, Gielen in the 41st, Kibbe in the 55th, and Van den Ven in the 70th. Meanwhile, the Cyprus U-17 national team lost 3-1 to Serbia in Pancevo during their UEFA European U-17 Championship qualifying phase. Marinkovic opened the scoring for Serbia in the 64th minute, David Gerasimou equalized for Cyprus in the 81st, but Matanovic secured the win for Serbia with two goals in the 83rd and 86th minutes before being sent off. In other group results, Sweden defeated Slovenia 5-1 in the U-19 tournament, while Belgium won 2-1 against Switzerland in the U-17 competition. The U-19 squad faces Slovenia next on March 28, and the U-17 squad is scheduled to play against Switzerland on the same date. Both tournaments serve as key qualification stages for the final phases of their respective UEFA championships.