Romania and Georgia to host 2023 Under-21 EURO

Romania and Georgia have been appointed as hosts of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The decision was made today by the UEFA Executive Committee. The 2023 finals will be the second since the expansion to 16 teams after the 2021 competition in Hungary and Slovenia.

The tournament is planned to be played at four stadiums in Romania (two in Cluj-Napoca and two in Bucharest) and four stadiums in Georgia (Batumi, Poti, and two in Tbilisi). The opening match will take place in Romania and the final will be held in Georgia.

Both 2023 hosts will be assured of a finals place in the summer of that year, with qualifying for the remaining 14 slots running in 2021 and 2022.

The 16 qualified teams will be drawn into four groups of four for the final tournament, with the four winners and four runners-up in each section reaching the quarter-finals. There will be a standard knockout format from there.

Romania previously hosted the 1998 U21 finals in Bucharest, which is one of the venues for UEFA EURO 2020 and staged the 2012 UEFA Europa League final. Romania also held the U19 EURO in 2011 and is due to do so again in 2021.

Georgia hosted the 2017 U19 EURO while the 2015 UEFA Super Cup was played in Tbilisi, as were the 2013 UEFA Futsal Cup finals.

Previous hosts

16 teams
2021: Hungary & Slovenia
12 teams
2019: Italy
2017: Poland
8 teams
2015: Czech Republic
2013: Israel
2011: Denmark
2009: Sweden
2007: Netherlands
2006: Portugal
2004: Germany
2002: Switzerland
2000: Slovakia
1998: Romania
1996: Spain
1994: France
Prior to 1994, the quarter-finals onwards were played over two legs on a home-and-away basis.