In the Euro 2016 qualifying round, Ukraine were drawn against Spain, Slovakia, Belarus, Macedonia and Luxembourg. The "Zbirna" was expected to qualify for the tournament as runners-up of the group behind Spain but, despite having won all their other matches, they finished third due to poor results against Spain and Slovakia. They therefore had to face Slovenia in the play-off route (the side to which they had succumbed at the same stage of the 2000 edition) ; they recorded a 2–0 win at Lviv before forging a 1–1 draw at the very end of the second game.