GERAINT Williams’ Wales under-21s have been drawn alongside Denmark, Romania, Armenia, Bulgaria and Luxembourg in the group stages of the UEFA Under 21 Championships.

Wales were seeded in Pot D for the draw in Nyon, Switzerland, and are one of 52 nations who will be looking to make it to Poland for the finals in 2017.

The nine group winners will automatically qualify to join hosts Poland in the 2017 finals.

The four runners-up with the best record against the teams first, third, fourth and fifth in their group will go into the play-offs and will be drawn into two ties to decide the remaining qualifiers for the expanded 12-country finals.

Gareth Southgate’s England, who topped Wales' 2015 qualifying group, were drawn with Switzerland, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kazakhstan.

Southgate recently agreed a one-year contract extension with the Football Association, which will keep him in post until the summer of 2017.

"Gareth is an outstanding individual. I'm happy to see him commit further to his work with the Under-21s," said FA technical director Dan Ashworth.

The former Aston Villa defender will attempt to guide England to a first European Under-21 Championship success since 1984 in Czech Republic this summer.

His side have been drawn in a group with Italy, Sweden and Portugal, who they open their campaign against in Uherske Hradiste on June 18.

The 2017 qualifying group stage match schedule is as follows: 23–31 March 2015, 8–16 June 2015, 31 August–8 September 2015, 5–13 October 2015, 9–17 November 2015, 21–29 March 2016, 29 August–6 September 2016, 3–11 October 2016. The play-offs will be played from 7–15 November 2016.

Full draw: Group 1 – Czech Republic, Belgium, Montenegro, Moldova, Latvia, Malta

Group 2 – Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Lithuania, Andorra

Group 3 – France, Ukraine, Scotland, Iceland, FYR Macedonia, Northern Ireland

Group 4 – Portugal, Israel, Greece, Hungary, Albania, Liechtenstein

Group 5 – Denmark, Romania, Armenia, Wales, Bulgaria, Luxembourg

Group 6 – Spain, Sweden, Croatia, Georgia, Estonia, San Marino

Group 7 – Germany, Russia, Austria, Finland, Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands

Group 8 – Netherlands, Slovakia, Turkey, Belarus, Cyprus

Group 9 – England, Switzerland, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan