 | |||
| Nickname(s) | Les Bleuets (The Little Blues) Les Espoirs (The Hopes) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | French Football Federation | ||
| Head coach | Gérald Baticle | ||
| Captain | Castello Lukeba | ||
| Mostcaps | Mickaël Landreau (46) | ||
| Top scorer | Odsonne Édouard (17) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 France 7–1England  (Le Havre, France; 22 May 1952) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
France 9–0Cyprus  (Grenoble, France; 17 October 2023) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
England 6–0France (Sheffield, England; 28 February 1984) Records for competitive matches only. | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 11 (first in1982) | ||
| Best result | Winners (1988) | ||
TheFrance national under-21 football team (French:Equipe de France Espoirs), known inFrance asLes Espoirs (French pronunciation:[ɛs.pwaʁ],The Hopes), is the national under-21football team of France and is controlled by theFrench Football Federation. The team competes in theUEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two years.
Following the realignment ofUEFA's youth competitions in 1976, under-21 football teams inEurope were formed. The team is exclusively for football players that are age 21 or under at the start of the two-year campaign of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, meaning a player can represent the national team until the age of 23.
France has won the Under-21 Championship once, in1988. Notable players on the team that went on to play for the senior national team includeLaurent Blanc,Eric Cantona,Franck Sauzée, andJocelyn Angloma, among others.[1] Blanc was named the tournament's Golden Player.[2] The team's best finish since was in2002 when the team finished runners-up to theCzech Republic inSwitzerland.
The France under-21 team does not have a permanent home. The team plays instadiums located all aroundFrance, particularly grounds ofLigue 2 clubs. Because of the smaller demand compared to the senior national team, smaller facilities are used. Recently, the under-21 team has established theStade Auguste-Delaune II, home ofStade Reims, as a home residence having played numerous matches there over the past two seasons.
Though, under-21 teams weren't formed until 1976,Les Espoirs, a youth national team in France, had existed since 1950 playing its first match on 22 May 1952 defeatingEngland 7–1 at theStade Jules Deschaseaux inLe Havre. The team's next match was two years later suffering a 3–1 defeat toItaly inVicenza. For the rest of the decade, the youth team played seven more matches, which included a 1–1 draw withHungary inBudapest and a 2–0 loss to England inSunderland in 1959. In the 1960s,Espoirs continued to play matches against fellow national youth sides. However, on 18 December 1968, the team contested a match againstAlgeria senior team inAlgiers recording an impressive 5–2 victory. Four days later, the team draw 1–1 with the under-23 team of Algeria inOran. On 12 February 1969, theEspoirs played theHungary senior team at theStade Gerland in Lyon. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.
France's under-21 football friendlies and qualifying matches are broadcast byDirect 8.
Win Draw Lose Fixture
v France| 25 MarchFriendly | England | 4–0 | France | Leicester, England |
| Report | Stadium:King Power Stadium Referee: Joey Kooij (Netherlands) |
v
Mexico| 16 JuneFriendly | France | 1–0 | Mexico | Grenoble, France |
| Report | Stadium:Stade des Alpes |
v
Italy| 22 JuneU21 Euro 2023 GS | France | 2–1 | Italy | Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 21:45EEST (UTC+3) |
| Report |
| Stadium:Cluj Arena Attendance: 11,286 Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands) |
v France| 25 JuneU21 Euro 2023 GS | Norway | 0–1 | France | Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 21:45EEST (UTC+3) | Report |
| Stadium:Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Attendance: 1,507 Referee: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania) |
v France| 28 JuneU21 Euro 2023 GS | Switzerland | 1–4 | France | Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 21:45EEST (UTC+3) |
| Report | Stadium:Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Attendance: 1,652 Referee: Morten Krogh (Denmark) |
v
Ukraine| 2 JulyU21 Euro 2023 QF | France | 1–3 | Ukraine | Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 22:00EEST (UTC+3) |
| Report |
| Stadium:Cluj Arena Attendance: 6,281 Referee:João Pinheiro (Portugal) |
v
Denmark| 7 SeptemberFriendly | France | 4–1 | Denmark | Nancy, France |
| Report |
| Stadium:Stade Marcel Picot Attendance: 15,000 Referee:Jonathan Lardot (Belgium) |
v France| 11 SeptemberU21 Euro 2025 qualification | Slovenia | 0–4 | France | Koper, Slovenia |
| Report | Stadium:Bonifika Stadium Referee:Ondřej Berka (Czech Republic) |
v France| 13 OctoberU21 Euro 2025 qualification | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–2 | France | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Report |
| Stadium:Stadion Grbavica Referee:Mohammed Al-Emara (Finland) |
v Cyprus| 17 OctoberU21 Euro 2025 qualification | France | 9–0 | Cyprus | Grenoble, France |
| Report | Stadium:Stade des Alpes Referee:Miloš Bošković (Montenegro) |
v France| 17 NovemberU21 Euro 2025 qualification | Austria | 2–0 | France | Ried im Innkreis, Austria |
| Report | Stadium:Josko Arena Referee:Robert Jones (England |
v
South Korea| 20 NovemberFriendly | France | 0–3 | South Korea | Le Havre, France |
| Report |
| Stadium:Stade Océane Referee:Andrei Florin Chivulete (Romania) |
v Slovenia| 6 SeptemberU21 Euro 2025 qualification | France | 1–1 | Slovenia | Troyes, France |
| Report |
| Stadium:Stade de l'Aube Referee:José Luis Munuera Montero (Spain) |
v Bosnia and Herzegovina| 10 SeptemberU21 Euro 2025 qualification | France | 2–0 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Le Mans, France |
| Report | Stadium:Stade Marie-Marvingt Referee:Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia) |
v France| 11 OctoberU21 Euro 2025 qualification | Cyprus | 0–3 | France | Achna, Cyprus |
| Report | Stadium:Dasaki Stadium Referee:Ion Orlic (Moldova) |
v Austria| 15 OctoberU21 Euro 2025 qualification | France | 1–2 | Austria | Nancy, France |
| Report | Stadium:Stade Marcel Picot Referee:Mihály Káprály (Hungary) |
v France| 15 NovemberFriendly | Italy | 2–2 | France | Empoli, Italy |
| Report | Stadium:Stadio Carlo Castellani Referee:Christos Vergetis (Greece) |
v
Germany| 19 NovemberFriendly | France | 2–2 | Germany | Valenciennes, France |
| Report |
| Stadium:Stade du Hainaut Referee:Andrea Colombo (Italy) |
v England| 21 MarchFriendly | France | 5–3 | England | Lorient, France |
| Report | Stadium:Stade du Moustoir Attendance: 15,271 Referee: Lothar D'Hondt (Belgium) |
v France| 24 MarchFriendly | Slovakia | 0–4 | France | Trnava, Slovakia |
| Report |
| Stadium:Anton Malatinský Stadium Referee: Gergő Bogár (Hungary) |
v
Uzbekistan| 4 JuneFriendly | France | 2–1 | Uzbekistan | Orléans, France |
| 21:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Stade de la Source Referee:Sam Barrott (England) |
v France| 11 JuneU21 Euro 2025 GS | Portugal | 0–0 | France | Trenčín, Slovakia |
| 21:00 | Report | Stadium:Štadión Sihoť Attendance: 4,932[3] Referee:Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania) |
v
Georgia| 14 JuneU21 Euro 2025 GS | France | 3–2 | Georgia | Žilina, Slovakia |
| 21:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Štadión pod Dubňom Attendance: 3,687[4] Referee:Jakob Sundberg (Denmark) |
v
Poland| 17 JuneU21 Euro 2025 GS | France | 4–1 | Poland | Žilina, Slovakia |
| 18:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Štadión pod Dubňom Attendance: 7,288[5] Referee:Nenad Minaković (Serbia) |
v France| 22 JuneU21 Euro 2025 QF | Denmark | 2–3 | France | Prešov, Slovakia |
| 21:00 | Report | Stadium:Futbal Tatran Arena Attendance: 5,513[6] Referee:Sander van der Eijk (Netherlands) |
v France| 25 JuneU21 Euro 2025 SF | Germany | 3–0 | France | Košice, Slovakia |
| 21:00 | Report | Stadium:Košická futbalová aréna Attendance: 11,913[7] Referee:Nick Walsh (Scotland) |
v
Serbia| 8 SeptemberFriendly | France | 3–0 | Serbia | Lorient, France |
| 21:00 | Report | Stadium:Stade du Moustoir Attendance: 3,836 Referee:Lionel Tschudi (Switzerland) |
v France| 10 OctoberU21 Euro 2027 qualification | Faroe Islands | v | France | Klaksvík, Faroe Islands |
| Stadium:Við Djúpumýrar |
v
Estonia| 13 OctoberU21 Euro 2027 qualification | France | v | Estonia | Grenoble, France |
| Stadium:Stade des Alpes |
v France| 14 NovemberU21 Euro 2027 qualification | Switzerland | v | France | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Stadium:Stade de la Tuilière |
v Faroe Islands| 17 OctoberU21 Euro 2027 qualification | France | v | Faroe Islands | Grenoble, France |
| Stadium:Stade des Alpes |
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Gérald Baticle | French |
| Assistant coach | Gaël Clichy | French |
| Goalkeeping coach | Patrick L'Hostis | French |
| Doctor | Marc Chasselat | French |
| Physiotherapist | Florian Simon | French |
For the 2025–26 and 2026–27 seasons, including the2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, players born on or after 1 January 2004 are eligible.
The following players were called up for2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches againstSwitzerland andFaroe Islands on 14 and 17 November 2025; respectively.[8]
Note: Names initalics denote players that have been capped by the senior team.
Caps and goals as of 17 November 2025, after the match againstFaroe Islands.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Lisandru Olmeta | (2005-07-21)21 July 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Bastia |
| 16 | 1GK | Robin Risser | (2004-12-02)2 December 2004 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | Lens |
| 23 | 1GK | Ewen Jaouen | (2005-12-29)29 December 2005 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | Reims |
| 1GK | Guillaume Restes | (2005-03-11)11 March 2005 (age 20) | 18 | 0 | Toulouse | |
| 2 | 2DF | Leny Yoro | (2005-11-13)13 November 2005 (age 20) | 9 | 0 | Manchester United |
| 3 | 2DF | Saël Kumbedi | (2005-03-26)26 March 2005 (age 20) | 6 | 0 | Wolfsburg |
| 4 | 2DF | Jérémy Jacquet | (2005-07-13)13 July 2005 (age 20) | 5 | 0 | Rennes |
| 13 | 2DF | Dayann Methalie | (2006-02-18)18 February 2006 (age 19) | 4 | 2 | Toulouse |
| 14 | 2DF | Jeanuël Belocian | (2005-02-17)17 February 2005 (age 20) | 7 | 0 | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 15 | 2DF | Nathan Zézé | (2005-06-18)18 June 2005 (age 20) | 6 | 1 |  Neom |
| 21 | 2DF | Jaydee Canvot | (2006-07-29)29 July 2006 (age 19) | 4 | 0 | Crystal Palace |
| 6 | 3MF | Valentin Atangana | (2005-08-25)25 August 2005 (age 20) | 6 | 1 | Al-Ahli |
| 8 | 3MF | Lesley Ugochukwu | (2004-03-26)26 March 2004 (age 21) | 10 | 0 | Burnley |
| 18 | 3MF | Djaoui Cissé | (2004-01-31)31 January 2004 (age 21) | 8 | 4 | Rennes |
| 20 | 3MF | Ayyoub Bouaddi | (2007-10-02)2 October 2007 (age 18) | 8 | 1 | Lille |
| 3MF | Louis Leroux | (2006-01-23)23 January 2006 (age 19) | 3 | 1 | Nantes | |
| 3MF | Kévin Danois | (2004-06-28)28 June 2004 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Auxerre | |
| 7 | 4FW | Mathys Tel | (2005-04-27)27 April 2005 (age 20) | 20 | 12 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 9 | 4FW | Lucas Michal | (2005-06-22)22 June 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 |  Monaco |
| 10 | 4FW | Wilson Odobert | (2004-11-28)28 November 2004 (age 20) | 16 | 5 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 11 | 4FW | Senny Mayulu | (2006-05-17)17 May 2006 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 17 | 4FW | Saïmon Bouabré | (2006-06-01)1 June 2006 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | Neom |
| 19 | 4FW | Mohamed Kader Meïté | (2007-10-11)11 October 2007 (age 18) | 3 | 0 | Rennes |
| 22 | 4FW | Eli Junior Kroupi | (2006-06-23)23 June 2006 (age 19) | 5 | 3 | Bournemouth |
| 4FW | Jean-Mattéo Bahoya | (2005-05-07)7 May 2005 (age 20) | 5 | 1 | Eintracht Frankfurt | |
| 4FW | Herba Guirassy | (2006-08-29)29 August 2006 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | Nantes | |
The following players have also been called up to the France under-21 squad and remain eligible:
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Thérence Koudou | (2004-12-13)13 December 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 |  Mechelen | v. Estonia, 13 October 2025 |
| DF | Christian Mawissa | (2005-04-08)8 April 2005 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | Monaco[a] | v. Serbia, 8 September 2025 |
| DF | Nhoa Sangui | (2006-08-29)29 August 2006 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | Paris FC | v. Serbia, 8 September 2025 |
| DF | Kassoum Ouattara | (2004-10-14)14 October 2004 (age 21) | 3 | 0 | Monaco[a] | v. Italy, 15 November 2024 |
| DF | Yoan Koré | (2004-11-16)16 November 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 |  Betis Deportivo | v. Spain, 28 March 2023 |
| MF | Warren Zaïre-Emery | (2006-03-08)8 March 2006 (age 19) | 4 | 0 | Paris Saint-Germain | v. Estonia, 13 October 2025 |
| MF | Mathys Detourbet | (2007-04-29)29 April 2007 (age 18) | 0 | 0 | Troyes | 2025 UEFA European Under-21 ChampionshipPRE |
| FW | Noah Edjouma | (2005-10-04)4 October 2005 (age 20) | 3 | 0 | Toulouse | v. Estonia, 13 October 2025 |
| FW | Tidiam Gomis | (2006-08-08)8 August 2006 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | RB Leipzig | 2025 UEFA European Under-21 ChampionshipPRE |
| FW | Désiré Doué | (2005-06-03)3 June 2005 (age 20) | 4 | 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | v. Italy, 15 November 2024 |
| FW | Mohamed-Ali Cho | (2004-01-19)19 January 2004 (age 21) | 8 | 0 | Nice | v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 10 September 2024 |
| Year | Result | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 1980 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1982 | Quarter-finals | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
| 1984 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 | |
| 1986 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 13 | |
| 1988 | Champions | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 13 |
| 1990 | Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 |
| 1992 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | |
| 1994 | Fourth place | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 8 |
| 1996 | Third place | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 5 |
 1998 | Did not qualify | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 8 |
| 2000 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 6 | |
| 2002 | Runners-up | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 7 |
| 2004 | Did not qualify | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 7 |
| 2006 | Semi-finals | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 10 |
 2007 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
 2009 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 7 | |
| 2011 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | |
 2013 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 7 | |
 2015 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 11 | |
| 2017 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 8 | |
| 2019 | Semi-finals | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 11 |
 2021 | Quarter-finals | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 13 |
| 2023 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 10 | |
| 2025 | Semi-finals | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 32 | 14 |
| Total | 1 title | 236 | 145 | 48 | 43 | 446 | 194 |
French Football Federation (President:Philippe Diallo (interim))Ligue féminine de football professionnel (President:Jean-Michel Aulas) | |||||||
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