The qualifying cycle for the 2026 World Cup will begin for the Ukrainian national team on September 5 with a match against the national team of France in Wroclaw, Poland. However, the second home match — against Azerbaijan on October 13 — will be held in another Polish city, Krakow, although it was initially planned for Wroclaw.
Cracovia Stadium in KrakowThe change in location was influenced by the following factors: lower rental costs (the stadium in Wroclaw is UEFA category 4 and can accommodate 45,105 fans, while "Cracovia" is significantly smaller with 15,000 seats), spectator interest (the arrival of the top national team of France will cause a stir, but this cannot be said about Azerbaijan), logistics (the distance from the Ukrainian border to Krakow is significantly shorter), and the condition of the pitch (it is noticeably worse in Wroclaw, and in mid-October, weather whims may still come into play).
