THE IRELAND U17 and U19 teams learned their UEFA elite qualifying fate today.
The U19 team will travel to Portugal, where they will play the hosts, in addition to Israel and Ukraine, between May 23-28, with only one team advancing to the finals in Estonia next July.
The eight teams who qualify for the finals will automatically advance to the U20 World Cup in Turkey.
In addition, the U17 team have been handed a similarly difficult draw, as they must compete against the Netherlands, Serbia and Albania – games that will take place between March 22-27.
The draw for the U17 and U19 UEFA Championships has also been made, which will take place in October 2012.
Ireland U17s are set to face Romania, Sweden and hosts Macedonia, while the U19s will play Germany, Macedonia and Luxembourg.