YEREVAN – The draws for the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final tournament, which Armenia will host in the summer, were held Friday in capital city Yerevan.

Accordingly, the U19 national squad of Armenia will compete in Group A, together with Portugal, Italy, and Spain. France, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Ireland will face one another in Group B.

Armenia national football squad captain and Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, as well as Armenia national team’s and Aktobe’s Brazilian-born midfielder Marcos Pizzelli also were in attendance to the draws.

Mkhitaryan and Pizzelli shared their impressions after the draw.

“I’m very happy to represent my country as an ambassador. When I was under 19, I would wait impatiently for the U-19 matches because they would help me gain experience. Participating in this championship is a great opportunity for Armenia, and our footballers need to enjoy it,” Arsenal’s midfielder said.

“Armenia’s national football team is a favorite since it’s playing at home. There are great expectations. All the matches at this level are hard, but the goal of this championship is to identify the new players who are like Mkhitaryan, Marcos and Ghazaryan,” Marcos Pizzelli noted.

The U19 Euro 2019 final tournament will be held in Yerevan, from July 14 to 27.

This will be the first UEFA final tournament to be staged in Armenia, whose only previous appearance in any European finals came in the 2005 U19 EURO. They are joined by the seven elite round winners.