Although Ukraine did not immediately present a threat to the more established football superpowers, they were placed 11th on FIFA's world rankings at their peak in 2007.
Ukraine's most famous footballer of all-time, Andriy Shevchenko, starred for Dynamo Kyiv and AC Milan, also enjoying a stint at Chelsea, where he was once the most expensive player in Premier League history.
Ukraine had to integrate itself into international football from scratch following the fall of the Soviet Union.
After a turbulent and unsuccessful Euro 1996 qualification campaign, Ukraine only narrowly missed out on qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, losing to Croatia in the play-offs.
After an undefeated Euro 2000 qualification campaign, Ukraine once again had to settle for a play-off spot despite two draws against reigning world champions France.
Ukraine once again made the play-offs for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. However, a 5-2 aggregate defeat to eventual finalists Germany saw them miss out on the finals.
They looked set to make the qualification play-offs for Euro 2004, as Spain were the only opponents in their group that were stronger than Ukraine on paper.
Players from Ukraine celebrate after the penalty shoot out during the 2nd round match of 2006 FIFA World Cup between Switzerland and Ukraine in Cologne on Monday 26 June, 2006
Their performances improved in qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but they still fell short of reaching the tournament due to a play-off defeat at the hands of old tormentors Greece.
Ukraine co-hosted Euro 2012 along with Poland, with Blokhin back as head coach after stepping down in 2007.
.
Under Mykhaylo Fomenko Ukraine reached the qualification play-offs for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, but were beaten by France 3-2 on aggregate despite a 2-0 home victory, meaning that they failed to reach the tournament once again.
However, Ukraine did manage to qualify for Euro 2016 after beating Slovenia in a play-off, avenging their Euro 2000 qualification play-off defeat.
After the Euro 2016 flop, Fomenko was replaced by Ukraine legend Andriy Shevchenko.
Racism is a problem among a tiny minority of Ukranian football fans and there was a recent high-profile incident which saw Taison of Shakhtar Donetsk sent off for his reaction to racist abuse at the hands of Dynamo Kyiv fans.
We’ve got plenty of juicy acca action for the Sunday before Christmas, can some of the best tipsters in the UK find you a big winner on December 22?
Kevin De Bruyne and Belgium secured their place in the last 16 of Euro 2024 amidst boos from their supporters following a goalless draw against Ukraine.
Belgium set up a last 16 clash with France at Euro 2024 following a 0-0 draw with Ukraine, who exited the tournament with their heads held high.
The most competitive group at the Euros comes to a close as Ukraine and Belgium fight for a place in the knockouts stages this Wednesday in Stuttgart (1700 BST).
Ukraine will look to bounce back with a win against Belgium’s conquerors Slovakia in Dusseldorf on Friday afternoon (1400 BST).
Romania and Ukraine will both be looking to make a cracking start to their Euro 2024 campaigns when the two nations clash in Munich this Monday afternoon (1400 BST).
Euro 2024 is finally here. Before you sit down for a diet of wall-to-wall football for the next month, make sure you familiarise yourself with the teams, players and some appealing tournament odds.
