England national under-21 football team

England national under-21 football team

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 for 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. 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.

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	Roy Hodgson
2013–2016	Gareth Southgate
2016–2021	Aidy Boothroyd
2021–	Lee Carsley

The original coach was 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. He remained in the post until June 2013, when it was announced that his contract would not be renewed. 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, the match ended in a 6–0 win for Hodgson's side. Former England international Gareth Southgate was made manager of the under-21 team on 22 August.

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. In February 2017, Boothroyd was confirmed as the permanent manager. 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. His contract as head coach of the U21s England National team will end after the 2027 Euros.

U21 coaching staff

Position	Staff
Manager	Lee Carsley
Assistant Manager	Ashley Cole
Goalkeeping Coach	Timothy Dittmer

Media coverage

England national under-21 football team

England Euro qualifiers and friendlies are currently broadcast by The FA Player. The 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was shown by Channel 4.

Results and fixtures

2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	England	7	6	1	0	18	2	+16	19	Final tournament		—	2 Oct	2–0	1–0	4–1	25 Sep
2	Slovakia	7	5	1	1	15	10	+5	16	Final tournament or Play-offs		0–4	—	25 Sep	3–0	2–0	2–1
3	Republic of Ireland	7	3	2	2	7	10	−3	11			6 Oct	2–2	—	1–0	1–1	29 Sep
4	Andorra (E)	8	2	1	5	6	10	−4	7		1–1	6 Oct	4–0	—	2 Oct	1–0
5	Moldova (E)	8	1	2	5	9	17	−8	5		0–4	2–3	1–2	3–0	—	6 Oct
6	Kazakhstan (E)	7	1	1	5	4	10	−6	4		0–2	1–3	0–1	1–0	1–1	—

Players

Current squad

Players born on or after 1 January 2004 are eligible for 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying games.

The following players were named in the squad for qualifying games against Andorra and Moldova, played on 27 and 31 March 2026.

Caps and goals updated as of 31 March 2026, after the match against Moldova. Names in bold denote players who have been capped for the senior team.

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Pos.</th><th>Player</th><th>Date of birth (age)</th><th>Caps</th><th>Goals</th><th>Club</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>GK</td><td>James Beadle</td><td>16 July 2004</td><td>17</td><td>0</td><td>Birmingham City (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion)</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>GK</td><td>Tommy Simkin</td><td>8 December 2004</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Stoke City</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>GK</td><td>Tommy Setford</td><td>13 March 2006</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Arsenal</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>DF</td><td>Myles Lewis-Skelly</td><td>26 September 2006</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Arsenal</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>DF</td><td>Josh Acheampong</td><td>5 May 2006</td><td>6</td><td>0</td><td>Chelsea</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>DF</td><td>Ashley Phillips</td><td>26 June 2005</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>Stoke City (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>DF</td><td>Max Alleyne</td><td>21 July 2005</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>Manchester City</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>DF</td><td>Rico Lewis</td><td>21 November 2004</td><td>13</td><td>2</td><td>Manchester City</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>DF</td><td>Ben Nelson</td><td>18 March 2004</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Leicester City</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>DF</td><td>Thierry Small</td><td>1 August 2004</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Preston North End</td></tr><tr><td>19</td><td>DF</td><td>Kellen Fisher</td><td>5 May 2004</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Norwich City</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>DF</td><td>Brooke Norton-Cuffy</td><td>12 January 2004</td><td>14</td><td>0</td><td>Genoa</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>MF</td><td>Jobe Bellingham</td><td>23 September 2005</td><td>11</td><td>1</td><td>Borussia Dortmund</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>MF</td><td>Archie Gray</td><td>12 March 2006</td><td>17</td><td>2</td><td>Tottenham Hotspur</td></tr><tr><td>18</td><td>MF</td><td>Josh King</td><td>3 January 2007</td><td>6</td><td>1</td><td>Fulham</td></tr><tr><td>23</td><td>MF</td><td>Sydie Peck</td><td>13 September 2004</td><td>7</td><td>0</td><td>Sheffield United</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>MF</td><td>Jack Hinshelwood</td><td>11 April 2005</td><td>11</td><td>0</td><td>Brighton & Hove Albion</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>FW</td><td>Divin Mubama</td><td>25 October 2004</td><td>7</td><td>5</td><td>Stoke City (on loan from Manchester City)</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>FW</td><td>Ethan Nwaneri</td><td>21 March 2007</td><td>15</td><td>5</td><td>Marseille (on loan from Arsenal)</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>FW</td><td>Tyrique George</td><td>4 February 2006</td><td>6</td><td>2</td><td>Everton (on loan from Chelsea)</td></tr><tr><td>17</td><td>FW</td><td>Sam Amo-Ameyaw</td><td>18 July 2006</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Strasbourg</td></tr><tr><td>20</td><td>FW</td><td>Tyler Dibling</td><td>17 February 2006</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>Everton</td></tr><tr><td>21</td><td>FW</td><td>Romain Esse</td><td>13 May 2005</td><td>3</td><td>1</td><td>Coventry City (on loan from Crystal Palace)</td></tr></tbody></table>

Recent call-ups

The following players have previously been called up to the England under-21 squad and remain eligible for selection.

<table><thead><tr><th>Pos.</th><th>Player</th><th>Date of birth (age)</th><th>Caps</th><th>Goals</th><th>Club</th><th>Latest call-up</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>GK</td><td>Finlay Herrick</td><td>18 January 2006</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>West Ham United</td><td>v.  Republic of Ireland,  Slovakia, 14-18 November</td></tr><tr><td>GK</td><td>Elyh Harrison</td><td>19 February 2006</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>v.  Republic of Ireland,  Slovakia, 14-18 November INJ</td></tr><tr><td>GK</td><td>Matty Young</td><td>24 November 2006</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Salford City (on loan from Sunderland)</td><td>v.  Moldova,  Andorra, 10-13 October 2025</td></tr><tr><td>DF</td><td>Lewis Hall</td><td>8 September 2004</td><td>7</td><td>0</td><td>Newcastle United</td><td>v.  Republic of Ireland,  Slovakia, 14-18 November 2025</td></tr><tr><td>DF</td><td>Nico O'Reilly</td><td>21 March 2005</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Manchester City</td><td>v.  Moldova,  Andorra, 10-13 October 2025 SEN</td></tr><tr><td>DF</td><td>Ben Chrisene</td><td>12 January 2004</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>Norwich City</td><td>v.  Kazakhstan, 8 September 2025</td></tr><tr><td>MF</td><td>Lewis Miley</td><td>1 May 2006</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>Newcastle United</td><td>v.  Republic of Ireland,  Slovakia, 14-18 November 2025</td></tr><tr><td>MF</td><td>Adam Wharton</td><td>6 February 2004</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>Crystal Palace</td><td>Training Camp, June 2025 INJ</td></tr><tr><td>MF</td><td>George Earthy</td><td>5 September 2004</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Bristol City (on loan from West Ham United)</td><td>v.  Spain,  Netherlands, 15–18 November 2024</td></tr><tr><td>MF</td><td>Darko Gyabi</td><td>18 February 2004</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Hull City</td><td>v.  Spain,  Netherlands, 15–18 November 2024</td></tr><tr><td>MF</td><td>Kobbie Mainoo</td><td>19 April 2005</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>v.  Azerbaijan,  Luxembourg, 22–26 March 2024 SEN</td></tr><tr><td>FW</td><td>Jamie Gittens</td><td>8 August 2004</td><td>16</td><td>2</td><td>Chelsea</td><td>v.  Republic of Ireland,  Slovakia, 14-18 November 2025</td></tr><tr><td>FW</td><td>Tom Watson</td><td>8 April 2006</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Millwall (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion)</td><td>v.  Moldova,  Andorra, 10-13 October 2025</td></tr><tr><td>FW</td><td>Will Lankshear</td><td>20 April 2005</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Oxford United (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)</td><td>v.  Kazakhstan, 8 September 2025</td></tr><tr><td>FW</td><td>Dane Scarlett</td><td>24 March 2004</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>Hibernian (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)</td><td>Training Camp, June 2025 INJ</td></tr></tbody></table>

• INJ Player withdrew from the squad before any games had been played. • SEN Player withdrew from the squad due to a call up to the senior team.

Past squads

• 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad • 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad

Records

Most appearances

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 in bold are still eligible to play for the team.

Leading Goalscorers

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 in bold are still eligible to play for the team.

Competitive record

England national under-21 football team

As a European U21 team, England compete for the European Championship, with the finals every odd-numbered year, formerly even-numbered years. There is no Under-21 World Cup, although there is an U20 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 in (/wiki/1982UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship) and (/wiki/1984UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship). Then, as one might expect with a rapid turnover of players, followed a lean period.

After losing to France in the (/wiki/1988UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship) semi-final, England then failed to qualify for the last eight for five whole campaigns. In the qualifying stages for the (/wiki/1998UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship) 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 on away goals to Greece. In effect, England finished ninth in the competition despite losing only one of their ten matches.

England qualified for the (/wiki/2000UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship) finals comfortably. Under the 1996-appointed Peter Taylor England won every match without conceding a goal. But with 3 matches to play, Taylor was replaced in a controversial manner by Howard Wilkinson, who won the next two matches. The three goals conceded in the 3–1 defeat to group runners-up Poland 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 star David Platt as manager, England qualified for the (/wiki/2002UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship) tournament in Switzerland. Again England did poorly in the group stage. Platt's England failed to qualify for the (/wiki/2004UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship) tournament and he was replaced by the returning Peter Taylor. Taylor's England qualified from the group but lost to a strong France team in a two-legged playoff and failed to qualify for the (/wiki/2006UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship) tournament.

The next campaign started shortly after the 2006 finals – the qualification stage of the 2007 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 over Switzerland and Moldova, and then won a two-legged play-off with Germany to qualify for the finals held in the Netherlands. 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.

In (/wiki/2009UEFAEuropeanUnder-21Championship), England finished as runners-up, losing 4–0 to Germany in the final.

England finished second in their qualifying group for the 2011 championships in Denmark. They subsequently defeated Romania 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 the Czech Republic. England also subsequently exited the 2013 and 2015 Finals tournaments at the group stage, reached the semi–final 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. They retained the title in 2025.

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
1978	Semi-Finals	4th of 8	4	1	2	1	4	4	4	4	0	0	17	2	Sexton
1980	Semi-Finals	3rd of 8	4	1	1	2	4	4	4	4	0	0	11	2	Sexton
1982	Champions	1st of 8	6	3	2	1	11	8	6	4	1	1	12	5	Sexton
1984	Champions	1st of 8	6	5	0	1	13	3	6	5	0	1	13	4	Sexton
1986	Semi-Finals	4th of 8	4	1	2	1	3	4	6	3	2	1	9	3	Sexton
1988	Semi-Finals	3rd of 8	4	2	1	1	6	6	4	1	3	0	7	3	Sexton
1990	did not qualify	6	4	1	1	10	5	Sexton
1992	6	3	1	2	11	5	McMenemy
1994	10	4	3	3	20	8	McMenemy
1996	8	6	1	1	13	4	Sexton
1998	10	6	3	1	11	5	Taylor
2000	Group stage	5th of 8	3	1	0	2	6	4	9	8	0	1	26	3	Taylor, Reid, Wilkinson
2002	7th of 8	3	1	0	2	4	6	8	5	2	1	18	8	Wilkinson Platt
2004	did not qualify	8	3	2	3	14	10	Platt
2006	12	6	4	2	23	10	Taylor
2007	Semi-Finals	3rd of 8	4	1	3	0	5	3	4	3	1	0	8	4	Taylor, Pearce
2009	Runners-Up	2nd of 8	5	2	2	1	8	9	10	8	2	0	22	5	Pearce
2011	Group stage	7th of 8	3	0	2	1	2	3	10	6	3	1	17	8	Pearce
2013	7th of 8	3	0	0	3	1	5	10	9	0	1	26	3	Pearce
2015	7th of 8	3	1	0	2	2	4	12	11	1	0	35	4	Southgate
2017	Semi-Finals	3rd of 12	4	2	2	0	7	3	8	6	2	0	20	3	Southgate, Boothroyd
2019	Group stage	9th of 12	3	0	1	2	6	9	10	8	2	0	23	4	Boothroyd
2021	12th of 16	3	1	0	2	2	4	10	9	1	0	34	9	Boothroyd
2023	Champions	1st of 16	6	6	0	0	11	0		10	8	1	1	26	7		Carsley
2025	Champions	1st of 16	6	4	1	1	12	7	10	8	1	1	41	6	Carsley
2027															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.

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.