A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Nickname(s) | The Young Lions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | The Football Association | ||
| Head coach | Lee Carsley | ||
| Most caps | James Milner (46) | ||
| Top scorer | Eddie Nketiah (16) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 England 0–0 Wales  (Wolverhampton, England; 15 December 1976) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
England 9–0 San Marino  (Shrewsbury, England; 19 November 2013) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Romania 4–0 England (Ploieşti, Romania; 14 October 1980) England 0–4 Spain  (Birmingham, England; 27 February 2001)  Germany 4–0 England (Malmö, Sweden; 29 June 2009) | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 17 (first in 1978) | ||
| Best result | Winners (3) (1982, 1984, 2023) | ||
The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is the national under-21 association football team of England, under the control of the Football Association. It is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.
This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year UEFA 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, as Jack Butland, Harry Kane, Calum Chambers, John Stones and Emile 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 in his previous country).
The U21 team came into existence in 1976, following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions. A goalless draw in a friendly against Wales at Molineux 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 new Wembley 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 the 2007 FA Cup final in May.[2][3]
Coaching staff
Head coach
| Tenure | Head Coach/Manager |
|---|---|
| 1977–1990 | Dave Sexton
|
| 1990–1993 | Lawrie McMenemy
|
| 1994–1996 | Dave Sexton
|
| 1996–1999 | Peter Taylor
|
| 1999 | Peter Reid
|
| 1999–2001 | Howard Wilkinson
|
| 2001–2004 | David Platt
|
| 2004–2007 | Peter Taylor
|
| 2007–2013 | Stuart Pearce
|
| 2013–2016 | Gareth Southgate
|
| 2016–2021[4] | Aidy Boothroyd
|
| 2021– |  Lee Carsley
|
The original and most successful coach is Dave Sexton, who led the U21s from 1977 to 1990. In this period he combined his duties with managing the top-flight clubs Manchester United (1977–1981) and Coventry 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 manager Graham Taylor's assistant Lawrie 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 by Peter Reid, who resigned after just one match in charge to dedicate more time to his other job as manager of Sunderland. 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 at Nottingham 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 manager Steve McClaren wanted the U21s to have a full-time manager. Taylor, at the time, was combining his duties with his role as Crystal Palace boss.
On 1 February 2007, Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce was appointed as head coach on a part-time basis until after the European 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 against Spain on 6 February 2007 at Derby County's Pride Park Stadium. For the match against Italy 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 manager Roy Hodgson would take charge of an England U21 friendly match against Scotland at Bramall Lane,[7] the match ended in a 6–0 win for Hodgson's side.[8] Former England international Gareth 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 of Sam Allardyce. With Southgate overseeing the main team for four games, Aidy Boothroyd, the England 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 with Ashley Cole appointed as his assistant.[11]
U21 coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Lee Carsley
|
| Assistant Manager | Ashley Cole
|
| Goalkeeping Coach | Timothy Dittmer
|
Source: [citation needed]
Media coverage
England Euro qualifiers and friendlies are currently broadcast by The FA Player.
Results and fixtures
2023
Win Draw Loss
| 25 March 2023 International friendly | England | 4–0 |  France | Leicester, England |
| Match 404 |
|
Stadium: King Power Stadium Attendance: 12,806 Referee: Joey Kooij (Netherlands) |
| 28 March 2023 International friendly | England | 1–2 |  Croatia | Fulham, England |
| Match 405 |
|
Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 5,005 Referee: Krzysztof Jakubik (Poland) |
| 10 June 2023 International friendly | England | 0–2 |  Japan | Burton upon Trent, England |
| Match 406 | Report | Stadium: St. George's Park |
| 22 June 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) group stage | Czech Republic  | 0–2 | England | Batumi, Georgia |
| 20:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Batumi Stadium Attendance: 8,168 Referee: Horatiu Fesnic (Romania) |
| 25 June 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) group stage | England | 2–0 |  Israel | Kutaisi, Georgia |
| 20:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Attendance: 5,106 Referee: Rade Obrenović (Slovenia) |
| 28 June 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) group stage | England | 2–0 | Germany | Batumi, Georgia |
| 20:00 | Report | Stadium: Batumi Stadium Attendance: 9,587 Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan) |
| 2 July 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) quarter-final | England | 1–0 |  Portugal | Kutaisi, Georgia |
| 20:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Attendance: 6,920[13] Referee: Rade Obrenović (Slovenia) |
| 5 July 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) semi-final | Israel | 0–3 | England | Batumi, Georgia |
| 20:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Adjarabet Arena Attendance: 11,801[14] Referee: Morten Krogh (Denmark) |
| 8 July 2023 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final | England | 1–0 | Spain | Batumi, Georgia |
| 20:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Adjarabet Arena Attendance: 18,498 Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway) |
2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 18[a] | Final tournament | — | 3–2 | 6 Sep '24 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | England
|
7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 5 | +27 | 18[a] | Play-offs | 11 Oct '24 | — | 9–1 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 15 Oct '24 | |
| 3 | Serbia
|
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 16 | −7 | 10 | 15 Oct '24 | 0–3 | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Northern Ireland (Y)
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 6 | 10 Sep '24 | 6 Sep '24 | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 12 Oct '24 | ||
| 5 | Luxembourg (E)
|
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 23 | −19 | 4 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 15 Oct '24 | — | 6 Sep '24 | ||
| 6 | Azerbaijan (E)
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 14 | −10 | 3 | 0–3 | 1–5 | 10 Sep '24 | 0–1 | 3–2 | — |
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (Y) Cannot qualify directly, but may advance via the play-offs.
Notes:
Players
Current squad
Players born on or after 1 January 2002 are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
The following players were named in the squad for qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg, played 22 and 26 March 2024.[15]
Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2024 after the match against Luxembourg. Names in bold denote players who have been capped for the senior team.