UEFA European Under-21 Championship

The UEFA European Under-21 Championship is a football competition that happens every two years. It is played by the European men's under-21 national teams of the member associations of UEFA.

UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Founded1978
RegionEurope (UEFA)
Number of teams55 (total)
16 (finals)
Current champions Spain (5th title)
Most successful team(s) Italy
 Spain
(5 titles each)
WebsiteOfficial website
2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Italy and Spain have won the trophy more times than anyone else. They have won five times each. Spain are also the current champions.

Results

Under-23 championships

Held only three times before it was relabelled by UEFA.

Year Host Final Losing semi-finalists Number of teams
Winner Score Runner-up
1972 Home-and-away basis  
Czechoslovakia
2–2 / 3–1
5–3 on aggregate
 
USSR
  Bulgaria and   Greece 8 (23)
1974 Home-and-away basis  
Hungary
2–3 / 4–0
6–3 on aggregate
 
East Germany
  Poland and   USSR 8 (21)
1976 Home-and-away basis  
USSR
1–1 / 2–1
3–2 on aggregate
 
Hungary
  Netherlands and   Yugoslavia 8 (23)

Under-21 championships

Year Host Final Losing semi-finalists
(or third place match)
Number of teams
Winner Score Runner-up
1978 Home-and-away basis  
Yugoslavia
1–0 / 4–4
5–4 on aggregate
 
East Germany
  Bulgaria and   England 8 (24)
1980 Home-and-away basis  
USSR
0–0 / 1–0
1–0 on aggregate
 
East Germany
  England and   Yugoslavia 8 (25)
1982 Home-and-away basis  
England
3–1 / 2–3
5–4 on aggregate
 
West Germany
  Scotland and   USSR 8 (26)
1984 Home-and-away basis  
England
1–0 / 2–0
3–0 on aggregate
 
Spain
  Italy and   Yugoslavia 8 (30)
1986 Home-and-away basis  
Spain
1–2 / 2–1
3–3 on aggregate
3–0 (p)
 
Italy
  England and   Hungary 8 (29)
1988 Home-and-away basis  
France
0–0 / 3–0
3–0 on aggregate
 
Greece
  England and   Netherlands 8 (30)
1990 Home-and-away basis  
USSR
4–2 / 3–1
7–3 on aggregate
 
Yugoslavia
  Italy and   Sweden 8 (30)
1992 Home-and-away basis  
Italy
2–0 / 0–1
2–1 on aggregate
 
Sweden
  Denmark and   Scotland 8 (32)
1994   France  
Italy
1–0
(aet)
 
Portugal
 
Spain
2–1  
France
8 (32)
1996   Spain  
Italy
1–1
4–2 (p)
 
Spain
 
France
1–0  
Scotland
8 (44)
1998   Romania  
Spain
1–0  
Greece
 
Norway
2–0  
Netherlands
8 (46)
2000   Slovakia  
Italy
2–1  
Czech Republic
 
Spain
1–0  
Slovakia
8 (47)
2002   Switzerland  
Czech Republic
0–0
3–1 (p)
 
France
  Italy and   Switzerland 8 (47)
2004   Germany  
Italy
3–0  
Serbia and Montenegro
 
Portugal
3–2
(aet)
 
Sweden
8 (48)
2006   Portugal  
Netherlands
3–0  
Ukraine
  France and   Serbia and Montenegro 8 (51)
2007   Netherlands  
Netherlands
4–1  
Serbia
  Belgium and   England 8 (51)
2009   Sweden  
Germany
4–0  
England
  Italy and   Sweden 8 (52)
2011   Denmark  
Spain
2–0  
Switzerland
 
Belarus
1–0  
Czech Republic
8 (53)
2013   Israel  
Spain
4–2  
Italy
  Netherlands and   Norway 8 (53)
2015   Czech Republic  
Sweden
0–0
4–3
(p)
 
Portugal
  Denmark and   Germany 8 (53)
2017   Poland  
Germany
1–0  
Spain
  England and   Italy 12 (53)
2019   Italy  
Spain
2–1  
Germany
  France and   Romania 12 (55)
2021   Hungary
  Slovenia
16 (55)

Statistics

Performances by countries

Only under-21 championships are included in the table.[1][2]

Team Winners Runners-up Third-place Fourth-place Semi-finalists Total (Top Four)
  Spain 5 (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013, 2019) 3 (1984, 1996, 2017) 2 10
  Italy 5 (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004) 2 (1986, 2013) 5 12
  Germany[a] 2 (2009, 2017) 2 (1982, 2019) 1 5
  England 2 (1982, 1984) 1 (2009) 6 9
  Netherlands 2 (2006, 2007) 1 2 5
  USSR 2 (1980, 1990) 1 3
  France 1 (1988) 1 (2002) 1 1 2 6
  Sweden 1 (2015) 1 (1992) 1 2 5
  Czech Republic 1 (2002) 1 (2000) 1 3
  Yugoslavia 1 (1978) 1 (1990) 2 4
  Portugal 2 (1994, 2015) 1 3
  Serbia 2 (2004, 2007) 1 3
  East Germany 2 (1978, 1980) 2
  Greece 2 (1988, 1998) 2
  Switzerland 1 (2011) 1 2
  Ukraine 1 (2006) 1
  Norway 1 1 2
  Belarus 1 1
  Scotland 1 2 3
  Slovakia 1 1
  Denmark 2 2
  Belgium 1 1
  Bulgaria 1 1
  Hungary 1 1
  Romania 1 1
Total 22 22 6 6 32 88
  1. Includes West Germany

Participating details

Teams 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992  
1994
 
1996
 
1998
 
2000
 
2002
 
2004
 
2006
 
2007
 
2009
 
2011
 
2013
 
2015
 
2017
 
2019
  
2021
Total
  Albania × × × QF × 1
  Austria × GS 1
  Belarus Part of USSR × GS GS 3rd 3
  Belgium GS SF GS 3
  Bulgaria SF QF 2
  Croatia Part of Yugoslavia × × GS GS GS 3
  Czech Republic4 QF QF QF QF QF QF QF 2nd 1st GS 4th GS GS q 12
  Denmark QF QF SF GS GS SF GS GS q 8
  England SF SF 1st 1st SF SF GS GS SF 2nd GS GS GS SF GS q 15
  Finland GS 1
  France QF QF QF 1st 4th 3rd 2nd SF SF q 9
  Germany2 2nd 2nd 2nd QF QF QF QF GS GS 1st GS SF 1st 2nd q 12
  Greece 2nd QF 2nd GS 4
  Hungary QF QF SF QF q 5
  Iceland × × × GS q 1
  Israel Member of OFC GS GS 2
  Italy QF QF QF SF 2nd QF SF 1st 1st 1st 1st SF 1st GS GS SF 2nd GS SF GS q 20
  Netherlands × SF QF 4th GS 1st 1st SF q 7
  FYR Macedonia Part of Yugoslavia × × GS 1
  Norway 3rd SF 2
  Poland QF QF QF QF QF GS GS 7
  Portugal × 2nd QF GS 3rd GS GS 2nd GS q 8
  Romania QF SF q 2
  Russia3 1st SF 1st QF QF GS q 6
  Scotland QF SF QF QF SF 4th 6
  Serbia1 1st SF SF 2nd × × 2nd SF 2nd GS GS GS GS 11
  Slovakia Part of Czechoslovakia 4th GS 2
  Slovenia Part of Yugoslavia × × q 1
  Spain QF 2nd 1st QF QF 3rd 2nd 1st 3rd GS 1st 1st 2nd 1st q 13
  Sweden QF SF 2nd QF 4th SF 1st GS 8
  Switzerland SF GS 2nd q 3
  Turkey GS 1
  Ukraine Part of USSR × 2nd GS 2
Total 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 12 12 16
Legend

  • QF – Quarter-finals
  • GS – Group stage
  • TBD – To be decided
  • q – Qualified
  •     — Hosts

  •  •  – Did not qualify
  •  ×  – Did not enter
  •  ×  – Withdrew before qualification / Banned

Notes

UEFA European Under-21 Championship Media

References

  1. "Europe – U-23/U-21 Tournaments". rsssf.com. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  2. "U21 EURO – Champions". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2 March 2020.

Other websites