2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Updated: 12/10/2025, 9:13:10 PM Wikipedia source
The 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023) was the 24th edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (27th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth football championship organised by UEFA for the men's under-21 national teams of Europe. A total of 16 teams played in the final tournament, and only players born on or after 1 January 2000 were eligible to participate. The tournament was co-hosted by Romania and Georgia. Romania hosted the opening match, while Georgia hosted the final. Romania already hosted the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. As with previous Under-21 Championships held one year prior to the Olympic Games, this tournament served as European qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Besides France, which qualified automatically as Olympic hosts, eligible teams competed for qualifying (3 berths) for the men's football tournament of the 2024 Summer Olympics, where they will be represented by their under-23 national teams with a maximum of three overage players allowed. Germany were the defending champion, but they were not able to defend their title after being eliminated in the group stage. England won their third title by defeating Spain 1–0 in the final. They became the first team to win the UEFA European Under-21 Championship without conceding a single goal in the entire tournament.
Infobox
Tables
| Team | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
| Romania | Co-hosts | 3 December 2020 | 4th | 2021 | Semi-finals (2019) |
| Georgia | 1st (4th incl. Soviet Union) | Debut | |||
| Belgium | Group I winners | 29 March 2022 | 4th | 2019 | Semi-finals (2007) |
| Spain | Group C winners | 2 May 2022 | 16th | 2021 | Champions (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013, 2019) |
| Germany | Group B winners | 3 June 2022 | 14th | 2021 | Champions (2009, 2017, 2021) |
| Portugal | Group D winners | 6 June 2022 | 10th | 2021 | Runners-up (1994, 2015, 2021) |
| England | Group G winners | 7 June 2022 | 17th | 2021 | Champions (1982, 1984) |
| Netherlands | Group E winners | 8 June 2022 | 9th | 2021 | Champions (2006, 2007) |
| France | Group H winners | 9 June 2022 | 11th | 2021 | Champions (1988) |
| Italy | Group F winners | 14 June 2022 | 22nd | 2021 | Champions (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004) |
| Norway | Group A winners | 14 June 2022 | 3rd | 2013 | Semi-finals (1998, 2013) |
| Switzerland | Group E runners-up | 14 June 2022 | 5th | 2021 | Runners-up (2011) |
| Ukraine | Play-offs winner | 27 September 2022 | 3rd (6th incl. Soviet Union) | 2011 | Runners-up (2006) |
| Czech Republic | Play-offs winner | 27 September 2022 | 9th (15th incl. Czechoslovakia) | 2021 | Champions (2002) |
| Croatia | Play-offs winner | 27 September 2022 | 5th (9th incl. Yugoslavia) | 2021 | Quarter-finals (2021) |
| Israel | Play-offs winner | 27 September 2022 | 3rd | 2013 | Group stage (2007, 2013) |
| Team | mw- Coeff |
| Spain | 41,837 |
| Portugal | 40,130 |
| Germany | 39,668 |
| France | 37,887 |
| Team | Coeff |
| Netherlands | 36,626 |
| England | 35,798 |
| Italy | 35,244 |
| Romania (position B1) | 32,414 |
| Team | Coeff |
| Croatia | 31,945 |
| Switzerland | 31,744 |
| Belgium | 31,550 |
| Czech Republic | 30,455 |
| Team | Coeff |
| Ukraine | 29,362 |
| Norway | 27,872 |
| Israel | 25,732 |
| Georgia (position A1) | 24,442 |
| Bucharest | Venues in Romania | Bucharest |
| Steaua Stadium | html.skin-theme-clientpref-os od,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os od > }BucharestCluj-Napocaclass=notpageimage| Location of venues used in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Romania) | Rapid-Giulești Stadium |
| Capacity: 31,254 | Capacity: 14,047 | |
| | | |
| Cluj-Napoca | Cluj-Napoca | |
| Cluj Arena | Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Stadium | |
| Capacity: 30,201 | Capacity: 22,198 | |
| | |
| Tbilisi | Venues in Georgia | Tbilisi |
| Boris Paichadze | TbilisiBatumiKutaisiclass=notpageimage| Location of venues used in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Georgia) | Mikheil Meskhi |
| Capacity: 54,202 | Capacity: 27,223 | |
| | | |
| Batumi | Kutaisi | |
| Adjarabet Arena | Ramaz Shengelia Stadium | |
| Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 14,700 | |
| | |
| Country | Referee | 1st assistant referee | 2nd assistant referee |
| Azerbaijan | Aliyar Aghayev | Zeynal Zeynalov | Akif Ämirälı |
| Croatia | Duje Strukan | Bojan Zobenica | Alen Jakšić |
| France | Willy Delajod | Erwan Christophe Finjean | Cyril Mugnier |
| Norway | Espen Eskås | Jan Erik Engan | Isaak Bashevkin |
| Romania | Horațiu Feşnic | Valentin Avram | Alexandru Cerei |
| Slovenia | Rade Obrenović | Jure Praprotnik | Grega Kordež |
| Country | Referee | 1st assistant referee | 2nd assistant referee |
| Belgium | Erik Lambrechts | Jo De Weirdt | Kevin Monteny |
| Denmark | Morten Krogh | Steffen Bramsen | Dennis Wollenberg Rasmussen |
| Lithuania | Donatas Rumšas | Aleksandr Radiuš | Dovydas Sužiedėlis |
| Netherlands | Allard Lindhout | Erwin E. J. Zeinstra | Rogier Honig |
| Portugal | João Pinheiro | Bruno Miguel Alves Jesus | Luciano António Gomes Maia |
| Sweden | Mohammed Al-Hakim | Fredrik Klyver | Robin Wilde |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Georgia (H) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Portugal | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Netherlands | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Belgium | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Ukraine | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 | |
| 3 | Croatia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 1 | |
| 4 | Romania (H) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 1 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Israel | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Switzerland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
| 3 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Norway | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
| Position | Player |
| Goalkeeper | James Trafford |
| Defenders | Juan Miranda |
| Levi Colwill | |
| Taylor Harwood-Bellis | |
| James Garner | |
| Midfielders | Rodri |
| Antonio Blanco | |
| Curtis Jones | |
| Sergio Gómez | |
| Forwards | Abel Ruiz |
| Anthony Gordon |
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in Summer Olympics1 |
| France | Hosts | 13 September 2017 | 13 (1900, 1908, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1948, 1952, 1960, 1968, 1976, 1984, 1996, 2020) |
| Israel | Semi-finalist | 2 July 2023 | 2 (1968, 1976) |
| Spain | Runners-up | 2 July 2023 | 11 (1920, 1924, 1928, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2012, 2020) |
| Ukraine | Semi-finalist | 2 July 2023 | 0 (debut) |
References
- On 2 May 2022, UEFA announced that Russia were removed from European Under-21 Championship qualification, Spain therefor
- The best runner-up among all nine groups qualified for the final tournament.
- Tied on head-to-head points (3) and head-to-head goal difference (0). Head-to-head goals scored: Switzerland 4, Italy 3,
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- "UEFA Under-21 2021-23 Final Draw Procedure"https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0279-1638239fdbf0-12c81bd638df-1000/2023_final_draw_procedure.pdf
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- "ევრო 2023 : 21 წლამდე ნაკრებთა ევროპის ჩემპიონატი საქართველოსა და რუმინეთში გაიმართება"https://www.gff.ge/ge/media/news/20727
- gff.ge (in Georgian), 24 January 2022https://gff.ge/ge/media/news/22216
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