| Nickname | The Young Lions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | The Football Association (The FA) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Lee Carsley | ||
| Mostcaps | James Milner (46) | ||
| Top scorer | Eddie Nketiah (16) | ||
| FIFA code | ENG | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
(Wolverhampton,England; 15 December 1976) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
(Shrewsbury, England; 19 November 2013) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
(Malmö,Sweden; 29 June 2009) | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 17 (first in1978) | ||
| Best result | Winners (4) (1982,1984,2023,2025) | ||
TheEngland national under-21 football team, also known asEngland under-21s orEngland U21(s), is the national under-21association football team ofEngland, under the control ofthe Football Association. It is considered to be thefeeder team for theEngland national football team.
This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-yearUEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign begins, so some players can remain with the squad until the age of 23. As long as they are eligible, players can play for England at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side, and again for the U21s, asJack Butland,Harry Kane,Calum Chambers,John Stones andEmile Smith Rowe have done. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player has not played a senior competitive game for his previous country).
The U21 team came into existence in 1976, following the realignment ofUEFA's youth competitions. A goalless draw in afriendly againstWales atMolineux Stadium was England U21s' first result.
England U21s do not have a permanent home. They play in stadia across England, in an attempt to encourage younger fans in all areas of the country to attend matches. Because of the lower demand compared to the senior national team, smaller grounds can be used. The record attendance for an England U21 match was set on 24 March 2007, when England U21 played Italy U21 in front of a crowd of just under 60,000 at the newWembley Stadium, also a world record attendance for a U21 game.[1] The match was one of the required two events the stadium hosted in order to gain its safety certificate in time for its full-capacity opening for the2007 FA Cup final in May.[2][3]
| Tenure | Head coach/Manager |
|---|---|
| 1977–1990 | |
| 1990–1993 | |
| 1994–1996 | |
| 1996–1999 | |
| 1999 | |
| 1999–2001 | |
| 2001–2004 | |
| 2004–2007 | |
| 2007–2013 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2013–2016 | |
| 2016–2021[4] | |
| 2021– | |
| 2024 |
The original coach wasDave Sexton, who led the U21s from 1977 to 1990. In this period he combined his duties with managing the top-flight clubsManchester United (1977–1981) andCoventry City (1981–1983). After Coventry he took a position within the FA as their first Technical Director, at Lilleshall. He handed over U21 responsibilities to England managerGraham Taylor's assistantLawrie McMenemy for three years before resuming control from 1994 to 1996.
Peter Taylor took over in 1996 and, although never winning a tournament, his teams had an excellent record. He was controversially removed from the position in early 1999, however, and replaced initially byPeter Reid, who resigned after just one match in charge to dedicate more time to his other job as manager ofSunderland.Howard Wilkinson took over afterwards, yet could only produce four wins in ten competitive matches and quit after a year and a half in charge.David Platt took charge leaving his job atNottingham Forest. Platt was U21 boss from 2001 to 2004, but had little success before Taylor's return. Taylor left in January 2007, as the senior national managerSteve McClaren wanted the U21s to have a full-time manager. Taylor, at the time, was combining his duties with his role asCrystal Palace boss.
On 1 February 2007,Manchester City managerStuart Pearce was appointed as head coach on a part-time basis until after theEuropean Championships in the summer of 2007.Nigel Pearson,Newcastle United's assistant manager, agreed to become Pearce's assistant. Their first match in charge was a 2–2 draw againstSpain on 6 February 2007 atDerby County'sPride Park Stadium. For the match againstItaly Nigel Pearson took charge as Stuart Pearce had club commitments.Steve Wigley assisted Pearson.
Pearce was dismissed as Manchester City manager on 14 May 2007, before the 2007 European Championships, but on 19 July 2007 he was named full-time U21s coach.[5] He remained in the post until June 2013, when it was announced that his contract would not be renewed.[6] On 31 July, the FA announced that England senior managerRoy Hodgson would take charge of an England U21 friendly match againstScotland atBramall Lane,[7] the match ended in a 6–0 win for Hodgson's side.[8] Former England internationalGareth Southgate was made manager of the under-21 team on 22 August.[9]
In September 2016, Southgate was appointed to the temporary position of caretaker manager of the England senior side after the departure ofSam Allardyce. With Southgate overseeing the main team for four games,Aidy Boothroyd, theEngland under-20 manager, was appointed caretaker manager of the under-21s until Southgate's return.[4] In February 2017, Boothroyd was confirmed as the permanent manager.[10]Boothroyd left the role on in April 2021 following a disappointing European Championship campaign.
On 27 July 2021,Lee Carsley was promoted from his role with the England U20s to become the head coach of the U21s withAshley Cole appointed as his assistant.[11] His contract as head coach of the U21s England National team will end after the 2027 Euros.[12]
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | |
| Assistant Manager | |
| Goalkeeping Coach |
Source:[citation needed]
EnglandEuro qualifiers and friendlies are currently broadcast by The FA Player. The2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was shown byChannel 4.[14]
Win Draw Loss
| 21 MarchInternational friendly | France | 5–3 | Lorient,France | |
| Report | Stadium:Stade du Moustoir Attendance: 15,271 Referee: Lothar D'Hondt (Belgium) |
| 24 MarchInternational friendly | England | 4–2 | West Bromwich,England | |
| Report | Stadium:The Hawthorns Attendance: 14,783 Referee: Iwan Griffith (Wales) |
| 12 June2025 UEFA Under-21 Group Stage | Czech Republic | 1−3 | Dunajská Streda,Slovakia | |
| 21:00CEST (GMT+2) |
| Report | Stadium:MOL Aréna Attendance: 8,087 Referee:Elchin Masiyev (Azerbaijan) |
| 15 June2025 UEFA Under-21 Group Stage | England | 0−0 | Nitra,Slovakia | |
| 18:00CEST (GMT+2) | Report | Stadium:Štadión pod Zoborom Attendance: 5,217 Referee:Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia) |
| 18 June2025 UEFA Under-21 Group Stage | England | 1−2 | Nitra,Slovakia | |
| 21:00CEST (GMT+2) |
| Report | Stadium:Štadión pod Zoborom Attendance: 5,624[15] Referee:Sander van der Eijk (Netherlands) |
| 21 June2025 UEFA Under-21 Quarter-finals | Spain | 1–3 | Trnava,Slovakia | |
| 21:00CEST (GMT+2) | Report | Stadium:Anton Malatinský Stadium Attendance: 8,247[16] Referee:Simone Sozza (Italy) |
| 25 June2025 UEFA Under-21 Semi-finals | England | 2–1 | Bratislava,Slovakia | |
| 18:00CEST (GMT+2) | Report | Stadium:Tehelné pole Attendance: 14,719[17] Referee:Vassilis Fotias (Greece) |
| 28 June2025 UEFA Under-21 Final | England | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Bratislava,Slovakia | |
| 21:00CEST (GMT+2) |
| Report | Stadium:Tehelné pole Attendance: 19,153[18] Referee:Sander van der Eijk (Netherlands) |
| 8 September2027 UEFA U-21 Group D Qualifier | Kazakhstan | 0–2 | Aktobe,Kazakhstan | |
| 16:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Central Stadium Attendance: 9,624 Referee: Edgar Malcevs (Latvia) |
| 10 October2027 UEFA U-21 Group D Qualifier | Moldova | 0–4 | Chișinău,Moldova | |
| 17:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Zimbru Stadium Attendance: 2,849 Referee: Bence Csonka (Hungary) |
| 13 October2027 UEFA U-21 Group D Qualifier | England | 1–0 | Derby,England | |
| 19:45 | Report | Stadium:Pride Park Stadium Attendance: 9,298 Referee: Jacob Karlsen (Denmark) |
| 14 November2027 UEFA U-21 Group D Qualifier | England | 2–0 | Birmingham,England | |
| 19:45 | Report | Stadium:St Andrew's Attendance: 9,961 Referee:Iuliana Demetrescu (Romania) |
| 18 November2027 UEFA U-21 Group D Qualifier | Slovakia | 0–4 | Prešov,Slovakia | |
| 17:00 |
| Report | Stadium:Futbal Tatran Arena Attendance: 5,903 Referee:Kamal Umudlu (Azerbaijan) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | +13 | 15 | Final tournament | — | 2 Oct '26 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 25 Sep '26 | 31 Mar '26 | ||
| 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 13 | Play-offs | 0–4 | — | 25 Sep '26 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 7 | 6 Oct '26 | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 29 Sep '26 | 26 Mar '26 | |||
| 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 6 | 27 Mar '26 | 6 Oct '26 | 4–0 | — | 1–0 | 2 Oct '26 | |||
| 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 4 | 0–2 | 27 Mar '26 | 31 Mar '26 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | |||
| 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 4 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 6 Oct '26 | — |
Players born on or after 1 January 2004 are eligible for2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying games.[19]
The following players were named in the squad for qualifying games againstRepublic of Ireland andSlovakia, played on 14 and 18 November 2025.[20]
Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2025, after the match againstSlovakia. Names inbold denote players who have been capped for thesenior team.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Tommy Setford | (2006-03-13)13 March 2006 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | |
| 13 | 1GK | Tommy Simkin | (2004-12-08)8 December 2004 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | |
| 1GK | James Beadle | (2004-07-16)16 July 2004 (age 21) | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2 | 2DF | Rico Lewis | (2004-11-21)21 November 2004 (age 21) | 11 | 1 | |
| 3 | 2DF | Lewis Hall | (2004-09-08)8 September 2004 (age 21) | 7 | 0 | |
| 4 | 2DF | Josh Acheampong | (2006-05-05)5 May 2006 (age 19) | 4 | 0 | |
| 5 | 2DF | Ashley Phillips | (2005-06-26)26 June 2005 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | |
| 6 | 2DF | Max Alleyne | (2005-07-21)21 July 2005 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | |
| 12 | 2DF | Kellen Fisher | (2004-05-05)5 May 2004 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | |
| 15 | 2DF | Brooke Norton-Cuffy | (2004-01-12)12 January 2004 (age 21) | 14 | 0 | |
| 16 | 2DF | Thierry Small | (2004-08-01)1 August 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | |
| 2DF | Ben Nelson | (2004-03-18)18 March 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | 3MF | Jobe Bellingham | (2005-09-23)23 September 2005 (age 20) | 9 | 1 | |
| 8 | 3MF | Lewis Miley | (2006-05-01)1 May 2006 (age 19) | 5 | 0 | |
| 14 | 3MF | Sydie Peck | (2004-09-13)13 September 2004 (age 21) | 5 | 0 | |
| 18 | 3MF | Josh King | (2007-01-03)3 January 2007 (age 18) | 4 | 1 | |
| 9 | 4FW | Divin Mubama | (2004-10-25)25 October 2004 (age 21) | 5 | 5 | |
| 10 | 4FW | Ethan Nwaneri | (2007-03-21)21 March 2007 (age 18) | 13 | 3 | |
| 11 | 4FW | Jamie Gittens | (2004-08-08)8 August 2004 (age 21) | 16 | 2 | |
| 17 | 4FW | Sam Amo-Ameyaw | (2006-07-18)18 July 2006 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | |
| 19 | 4FW | Tyrique George | (2006-02-04)4 February 2006 (age 19) | 4 | 2 | |
| 20 | 4FW | Tyler Dibling | (2006-02-17)17 February 2006 (age 19) | 6 | 0 | |
The following players have previously been called up to the England under-21 squad and remain eligible for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Matty Young | (2006-11-24)24 November 2006 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Nico O'Reilly | (2005-03-21)21 March 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Ben Chrisene | (2004-01-12)12 January 2004 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Archie Gray | (2006-03-12)12 March 2006 (age 19) | 16 | 1 | v. | |
| MF | Jack Hinshelwood | (2005-04-11)11 April 2005 (age 20) | 11 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Adam Wharton | (2004-02-06)6 February 2004 (age 21) | 3 | 0 | Training Camp, June 2025INJ[23] | |
| MF | George Earthy | (2004-09-05)5 September 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Darko Gyabi | (2004-02-18)18 February 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Kobbie Mainoo | (2005-04-19)19 April 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Tom Watson | (2006-04-08)8 April 2006 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Romain Esse | (2005-05-13)13 May 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Will Lankshear | (2005-04-20)20 April 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Dane Scarlett | (2004-03-24)24 March 2004 (age 21) | 4 | 2 | Training Camp, June 2025INJ[23] | |
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| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Milner | 46 | 9 | 2004–2009 | Leeds United,Newcastle United,Aston Villa |
| 2 | Nathaniel Chalobah | 40 | 1 | 2012–2017 | Chelsea |
| 3 | Nathan Redmond | 38 | 10 | 2013–2017 | Birmingham City,Norwich City,Southampton |
| 4 | Tom Huddlestone | 33 | 5 | 2005–2009 | Derby County,Tottenham Hotspur |
| Fabrice Muamba | 33 | 0 | 2007–2011 | Birmingham City,Bolton Wanderers | |
| 6 | James Ward-Prowse | 31 | 6 | 2013–2017 | Southampton |
| 7 | Michael Mancienne | 30 | 1 | 2007–2011 | Chelsea,Hamburger SV |
| 8 | Scott Carson | 29 | 0 | 2004–2007 | Leeds United,Liverpool |
| Danny Rose | 29 | 3 | 2009–2013 | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| Steven Taylor | 29 | 4 | 2004–2009 | Newcastle United |
Note:Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s. Those players inbold are still eligible to play for the team.
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Nketiah | 16 | 17 | 0.94 | 2018–2021 | Arsenal |
| 2 | Harvey Elliott | 14 | 28 | 0.5 | 2022–2025 | Liverpool |
| 3 | Alan Shearer | 13 | 11 | 1.18 | 1990–1992 | Southampton,Newcastle United |
| Francis Jeffers | 13 | 16 | 0.81 | 1999–2003 | Everton,Arsenal | |
| 5 | Saido Berahino | 11 | 12 | 0.92 | 2013–2015 | West Bromwich Albion |
| 6 | Nathan Redmond | 10 | 38 | 0.26 | 2013–2017 | Birmingham City,Norwich City,Southampton |
| 7 | Darren Bent | 9 | 14 | 0.64 | 2003–2005 | Ipswich Town,Charlton Athletic |
| Dominic Solanke | 9 | 18 | 0.5 | 2015–2019 | Chelsea,Liverpool,Bournemouth | |
| Frank Lampard | 9 | 19 | 0.47 | 1997–2000 | West Ham United | |
| Tammy Abraham | 9 | 26 | 0.35 | 2016–2019 | Chelsea | |
| James Milner | 9 | 46 | 0.2 | 2004–2009 | Leeds United,Newcastle United,Aston Villa |
Note:Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s. Those players inbold are still eligible to play for the team.
As a European U21 team, England compete for theEuropean Championship, with the finals every odd-numbered year, formerly even-numbered years. There is no Under-21 World Cup, although there is anU20 World Cup. For the first six (1978–1988) European Under-21 Football Championships, England did well, getting knocked out in the semi-finals on four occasions and winning the competition in1982 and1984. Then, as one might expect with a rapid turnover of players, followed a lean period.
After losing toFrance in the1988 semi-final, England then failed to qualify for the last eight for five whole campaigns. In the qualifying stages for the1998 tournament, England won their group, but fate was not on their side. Because there were nine groups, and only eight places, the two group-winning nations with worst records had to a play-off to eliminate one of them. England lost the away leg of this extra qualifying round and were eliminated onaway goals toGreece. In effect, England finished ninth in the competition despite losing only one of their ten matches.
England qualified for the2000 finals comfortably. Under the 1996-appointedPeter Taylor England won every match without conceding a goal. But with 3 matches to play, Taylor was replaced in a controversial manner byHoward Wilkinson, who won the next two matches. The three goals conceded in the 3–1 defeat to group runners-upPoland were the only blemish on the team's qualifying record. England got knocked out in the group stage of the European Championship finals in 2000 under Wilkinson.
After enlisting former international starDavid Platt as manager, England qualified for the2002 tournament inSwitzerland. Again England did poorly in the group stage. Platt's England failed to qualify for the2004 tournament and he was replaced by the returning Peter Taylor. Taylor's England qualified from the group but lost to a strongFrance team in a two-legged playoff and failed to qualify for the2006 tournament.
The next campaign started shortly after the 2006 finals – the qualification stage of the2007 competition. UEFA decided to shift the tournament forward to avoid a clash with senior tournaments taking place in even-numbered years. The qualification stage was heavily reduced, being completed in a year's less time. In a 3-team qualification group, England qualified overSwitzerland andMoldova, and then won a two-legged play-off withGermany to qualify for the finals to be held in theNetherlands. At the tournament, England progressed through to the semi-finals where they led for the majority of the match against the hosts. However, after a late equaliser and a marathon penalty shootout, England were eliminated.
In2009, England finished as runners-up, losing 4–0 toGermany in the final.
England finished second in their qualifying group for the 2011 championships in Denmark. They subsequently defeatedRomania in the play-offs to qualify for the finals tournament, where they were knocked out in the group stage after a 2–1 defeat to theCzech Republic. England also subsequently exited the 2013 and 2015 Finals tournaments at the group stage, reached the last 4 in 2017, before again exiting at the group stage in 2019 and 2021.
England won the tournament for the third time in 2023, winning all their games without conceding a single goal.
| UEFA European Under-21 Championship record | UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification record | Manager(s) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D * | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |||
| Semi-Finals | 4th of 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | Sexton | |||
| Semi-Finals | 3rd of 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | Sexton | |||
| Champions | 1st of 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | Sexton | |||
| Champions | 1st of 8 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4 | Sexton | |||
| Semi-Finals | 4th of 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | Sexton | |||
| Semi-Finals | 3rd of 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | Sexton | |||
| did not qualify | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | Sexton | ||||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 5 | McMenemy | |||||||||||
| 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 8 | McMenemy | |||||||||||
| 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 4 | Sexton | |||||||||||
| 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 5 | Taylor | |||||||||||
| Group Stage | 5th of 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 3 | Taylor,Reid,Wilkinson[26] | |||
| 7th of 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 8 | WilkinsonPlatt[27] | ||||
| did not qualify | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 10 | Platt | ||||||||||
| 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 10 | Taylor | |||||||||||
| Semi-Finals | 3rd of 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | Taylor,Pearce[28] | |||
| Runners-Up | 2nd of 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 5 | Pearce | |||
| Group Stage | 7th of 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 8 | Pearce | |||
| 7th of 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 3 | Pearce | ||||
| 7th of 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | Southgate | ||||
| Semi-Finals | 3rd of 12 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | Southgate,Boothroyd[29] | |||
| Group Stage | 9th of 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 4 | Boothroyd | |||
| 12th of 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 9 | Boothroyd | ||||
| Champions | 1st of 16 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 7 | Carsley | |||
| Champions | 1st of 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 6 | Carsley | |||
| Carsley | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 4 titles | 18/25 | 68 | 28 | 18 | 22 | 95 | 79 | 201 | 142 | 37 | 22 | 467 | 130 | |||
Note: The year of the tournament represents the year in which it ends.