The UEFA European Under-21 Championship is a biennial football tournament that is competed by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations.
Since 1978, the UEFA European Under-21 Championship has been contested in its current form with Yugoslavia emerging as inaugural champions.
Before the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, there was an Under-23 Challenge Cup which was held from 1967 to 1970.
Later in 1972, a UEFA European Under-23 Championship was started with Czechoslovakia winning the first edition. Hungary won the second edition in 1974 before the Soviet Union clinched it in 1976.
UEFA later reduced the age limit to 21 for the 1978 UEFA European Championship.
Also known as the UEFA Under-21 Championship or the Euro Under-21, the football competition has served as the UEFA qualification tournament for the Summer Olympics since 1992.
Spain and Italy are the most decorated teams in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship history, having won five titles each.
Germany and England are next in terms of most UEFA European Under-21 Championship triumphs having done so three times, while the likes of Russia, and Netherlands have won it twice each.
England are also the defending champions of the Euro Under-21, having defeated Spain 1-0 in the 2023 final. Get UEFA European Under-21 Championship winners list.
UEFA European Under-21 Championship winners list
Year |
Hosts |
Winner |
Runner-up |
1978 |
Home-and-away basis |
Yugoslavia |
East Germany |
1980 |
Home-and-away basis |
Soviet Union |
East Germany |
1982 |
Home-and-away basis |
England |
West Germany |
1984 |
Home-and-away basis |
England |
Spain |
1986 |
Home-and-away basis |
Spain |
Italy |
1988 |
Home-and-away basis |
France |
Greece |
1990 |
Home-and-away basis |
Soviet Union |
Yugoslavia |
1992 |
Home-and-away basis |
Italy |
Sweden |
1994 |
France |
Italy |
Portugal |
1996 |
Spain |
Italy |
Spain |
1998 |
Romania |
Spain |
Greece |
2000 |
Slovakia |
Italy |
Czech Republic |
2002 |
Switzerland |
Czech Republic |
France |
2004 |
Germany |
Italy |
Serbia and Montenegro |
2006 |
Portugal |
Netherlands |
Ukraine |
2007 |
Netherlands |
Netherlands |
Serbia |
2009 |
Sweden |
Germany |
England |
2011 |
Denmark |
Spain |
Switzerland |
2013 |
Israel |
Spain |
Italy |
2015 |
Czech Republic |
Sweden |
Portugal |
2017 |
Portugal |
Germany |
Spain |
2019 |
Italy |
Spain |
Germany |
2021 |
Hungary and Slovenia |
Germany |
Portugal |
2023 |
Romania and Georgia |
England |
Spain |
Photo credit: Alamy