---
title: "Stepanov's Injury in the Match Against Feyenoord: Ukraine's National Team Urgently Calls Up Veletnya for the Nations League"
description: "Utrecht forward Artem Stepanov injured his ankle in the match against Feyenoord and is likely to miss the start of the Nations League. Ukraine's national team has urgently called up Polissya winger Vladyslav Veletnya."
date: 2026-09-20T14:20:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/stepanov-injury-ukraine-national-team-calls-up-veletnya-nations-league
tags: [ukraine-national-team, nations-league, artem-stepanov, vladyslav-veletenya, utrecht, eredivisie, ufaf, football-injuries]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Stepanov's Injury in the Match Against Feyenoord: Ukraine's National Team Urgently Calls Up Veletnya for the Nations League

![Feyenoord player in white kit during the match where Ukraine's Stepanov sustained an injury](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/21/travma-stepanova-sbornaya-ukrainy-vyzyvala-veletnya-liga-naciy/travma-stepanova-sbornaya-ukrainy-vyzyvala-veletnya-liga-naciy-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Artem Stepanov injured his left ankle in the 25th minute of the Utrecht — Feyenoord match (Matchday 7 of the Eredivisie, September 20, 2026)
- The coaching staff of Ukraine's national team urgently called up Polissya winger Vladyslav Veletnya (23 years old) in place of Stepanov
- The exact diagnosis and Stepanov's recovery timeline were not announced at the time of publication
- Ukraine's national team will play four Nations League matches between September 25 and October 5, 2026

Ukraine's national team suffered yet another squad loss on the eve of the new UEFA Nations League campaign for the 2026/27 season. On Sunday, September 20, in a match of Matchday 7 of the Dutch Eredivisie, Utrecht forward Artem Stepanov sustained a serious injury in the game against Feyenoord. The 19-year-old striker, who was in excellent form at the time of the injury, having scored in five consecutive matches, injured his left ankle during a challenge with an opponent in the 25th minute. After receiving prolonged medical treatment on the pitch, Stepanov attempted to continue the game, but by the 30th minute he signaled to the coaching staff that he was unable to return to the field. According to the Ukrainian Association of Football's press service, the forward left the pitch in tears, and the exact diagnosis and recovery timeline remained unknown at the time of publication.

### Emergency Replacement in the Squad: Veletnya Returns to the National Team

In light of Stepanov's injury, the coaching staff of Ukraine's national team decided to urgently reinforce the attacking line. Winger Vladyslav Veletnya of Zhytomyr's Polissya, who had previously been on the reserve list, was additionally called up to the country's main team. For the 23-year-old footballer, this is already his second call-up to the national team: his debut took place in October of last year in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Iceland, which ended in a 5:3 victory for the Ukrainians. In the current season, Veletnya has played nine matches for Polissya, in which he has scored two goals and provided three assists.

### Context: A Series of Squad Losses Before the Nations League

Stepanov's injury was not the only problem for the coaching staff ahead of the start of the Nations League window. As previously reported, Artem Dovbyk and Andriy Andriievskyi were also left out of Ukraine's national team squad. Thus, ahead of the four-match tournament window, which will take place from September 25 to October 5, the national team has lost several attacking players at once. Stepanov, who had been demonstrating outstanding scoring form in the Eredivisie this season, was supposed to become one of the key players in the national team's attack at this stage.

### Contradictory Data

Publications by various Ukrainian sports media show a slight discrepancy in wording regarding Stepanov's status. The primary source — the UAF press service, cited by Sport RBC.UA — states that "the extent of the injury and the recovery timeline remain uncertain for now," and that the footballer himself "risks missing the upcoming camp." Meanwhile, the publication NV.ua, citing the UAF, reports more categorically: Stepanov "will not play in Ukraine's opening matches in the Nations League." Sport.ua, in turn, uses the phrasing "the national team is in question." Thus, at the time of publication, the exact medical verdict on the ankle injury had not been announced; however, the decision to make a replacement in the squad has already been made, which effectively confirms the 19-year-old forward's absence from the upcoming matches.

### Schedule and Prospects

Ukraine's national team will play four matches in the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 season between September 25 and October 5. For the coaching staff, the priority task is to compensate for the loss of Stepanov, who had scored in each of his previous five Eredivisie matches. The call-up of Veletnya, who has experience playing for the country's main team and is performing consistently in the Ukrainian championship, looks logical but is not a complete solution to the problem in the attacking line. The final squad for the Nations League matches will be announced in the coming days after receiving a full medical report on Stepanov's condition.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [After Stepanov's injury: Ukraine's national team urgently calls up Polissya winger](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/pislya-travmi-stepanova-zbirna-ukrayini-terminovo-1789913795.html) - Основной источник. Подтверждает травму на 25-й минуте, уход со слезами, вызов Велетни, статистику Велетни (9 матчей, 2 гола, 3 ассиста), дебют в октябре против Исландии (5:3), расписание Лиги наций (25.09–05.10).
- [Stepanov will not play in Ukraine's opening Nations League matches due to injury — UAF](https://sport.nv.ua/football/artem-stepanov-propustit-sbor-sbornoy-ukrainy-travma-v-matche-chempionata-niderlandov-50643019.html) - Ссылка на УАФ. Формулировка более категорична, чем в основном тексте: «не сыграет в стартовых матчах». Не противоречит, но уточняет степень уверенности.
- [The national team is in question. Stepanov sustained an injury in the match against Feyenoord](https://sport.ua/news/908733-sbornaya-pod-voprosom-stepanov-poluchil-travmu-v-matche-protiv-feyenoorda) - Подтверждает факт травмы и матч против «Фейеноорда». Использует осторожную формулировку «под вопросом».
- [Replacement for injured Stepanov: Ukraine's national team calls up another player for the Nations League](https://sport.nv.ua/football/vladislav-veleten-poluchil-vyzov-v-sbornuyu-ukrainy-liga-naciy-50642988.html) - Ссылка на УАФ. Формулировка более категорична, чем в основном тексте: «не сыграет в стартовых матчах». Не противоречит, но уточняет степень уверенности.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is the nature of Artem Stepanov's injury?
**A:** Stepanov injured his left ankle in the 25th minute of the Utrecht — Feyenoord match (Matchday 7 of the Eredivisie, September 20, 2026). The exact diagnosis and recovery timeline were not announced at the time of publication.

### Q: Who was called up to Ukraine's national team in place of Stepanov?
**A:** The coaching staff urgently called up Vladyslav Veletnya (23 years old), winger of Zhytomyr's Polissya, who had previously been on the reserve list. In the current season he has played 9 matches with 2 goals and 3 assists.

### Q: When will Ukraine's national team play its Nations League matches?
**A:** The four matches in the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 season will take place between September 25 and October 5, 2026.

### Q: Who else is missing from Ukraine's national team squad?
**A:** In addition to Stepanov, Artem Dovbyk and Andriy Andriievskyi were also left out of the squad.