UEFA European Under-21 Championship facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Founded	1978
Region	Europe (UEFA)
Number of teams	55 (total) 16 (finals)
Current champions	Spain (5th title)
Most successful team(s)	Italy  Spain (5 titles each)
Website	Official website: https://www.uefa.com/under21/

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.

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	Soviet Union		Bulgaria and  Greece			8 (23)
1974	Home-and-away basis		Hungary	2–3 / 4–0 6–3 on aggregate	East Germany		Poland and  Soviet Union			8 (21)
1976	Home-and-away basis		Soviet Union	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		Soviet Union	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  Soviet Union			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		Soviet Union	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.

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	2 (2009, 2017)	2 (1982, 2019)			1	5
England	2 (1982, 1984)	1 (2009)			6	9
Netherlands	2 (2006, 2007)			1	2	5
Soviet Union	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

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
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

• ¹ Includes results representing Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro.
• ² Includes results representing East Germany and West Germany.
• ³ Includes results representing Soviet Union and CIS
• ⁴ Includes results representing Czechoslovakia

Images for kids

• 

  Trophy of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship

See also

In Spanish: Eurocopa Sub-21 para niños