2025 Under-21 EURO: Meet the finalists

The 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament runs from 11 to 28 June in Slovakia with 16 teams through to the 3 December draw in Bratislava.

The hosts were initially joined by the nine qualifying group winners and the three runners-up with the best records against the sides first, third, fourth and fifth in their groups. November's play-offs then decided the last three finalists.

We introduce the contenders.

Czechia

Qualifying Group I runners-up: P8 W4 D2 L2 F13 A11
Play-offs: 3-1agg vs Belgium (2-0 a, 1-1 h)
Qualifying top scorer: Václav Sejk (4)
U21 EURO best: Winners (2002)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (group stage)

Did you know?
Petr Čech was their final penalty shoot-out hero against France in their sole U21 EURO title in Switzerland.

Denmark

Qualifying Group I winners: P8 W5 D2 L1 F18 A8
Qualifying top scorers: Mathias Kvistgaarden, Oliver Sørensen (3)
U21 EURO best: Semi-finals (1992, 2015)
Last U21 EURO: 2021 (quarter-finals)

Did you know?
In their fifth final tournament in six editions.

England (holders)

Qualifying Group F winners: P10 W8 D1 L1 F41 A6
Qualifying top scorer: Harvey Elliott (7)
U21 EURO best: Winners x 3 (1982, 1984, 2023)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (winners)

Did you know?
Top scorers in the qualifying group stage as they secured a place at a tenth final tournament in a row, every one since the switch to odd-numbered years in 2007. Elliott was among several of the 2023 winning squad who were also part of this qualifying campaign.

Finland

Qualifying Group E runners-up: P10 W6 D2 L2 F21 A8
Play-offs: 6-3agg vs Norway (5-1 h, 1-2 a)
Qualifying top scorer: Otso Liimatta (7)
U21 EURO best: Group stage (2009)
Last U21 EURO: 2009 (group stage)

Did you know?
Their 20 points in their group was the most Finland have ever managed in U21 qualifying and they then kept up their perfect record in play-offs having previously defeat Austria to go through in 2009, the only previous time Finland made the finals.

France

Qualifying Group H runners-up, best three runners-up: P8 W5 D1 L2 F22 A6
Qualifying top scorer: Arnaud Kalimuendo (4)
U21 EURO best: Winners (1988)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (quarter-finals)

Did you know?
Have not gone out in the group stage in their five qualifications since that round was introduced.

Georgia

Qualifying Group C runners-up: P10 W6 D1 L3 F14 A10
Play-offs: 3-3agg, 7-6pens vs Croatia (1-0 h, 2-3aet a)
Top scorers: Nodar Lominadze (3)
U21 EURO best: Quarter-finals (2023)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (quarter-finals)

Did you know?
Conceded three aggregate equalisers in their play-off second leg in Croatia and were one penalty kick away from a shoot-out defeat before their eventual sudden-death victory. This is the first time Georgia have got through qualifying or even reached the play-offs, but they made their finals debut as co-hosts in 2023, topping their group ahead of Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium before losing on penalties to Israel in front of a U21 EURO record 44,338 crowd in Tbilisi – not the first time they had set a new best at the Paichadze Stadium in the course of the tournament.

Germany

Qualifying Group D winners: P10 W8 D2 L0 F35 A10
Qualifying top scorer: Youssoufa Moukoko (6)
U21 EURO best: Winners x 3 (2009, 2017, 2021)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (group stage)

Did you know?
Equalled Italy's record in 2021 by reaching the final for the third straight tournament.

Italy

Qualifying Group A winners: P10 W6 D4 L0 F27 A4
Qualifying top scorer: Pio Esposito (6)
U21 EURO best: Winners x 5 (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (group stage)

Did you know?
The only nation to win three titles in a row, Italy share the overall record of five with Spain.

Netherlands

Qualifying Group C winners: P10 W10 D0 L0 F32 A3
Qualifying top scorer: Noah Ohio (7)
U21 EURO best: Winners x 2 (2006, 2007)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (group stage)

Did you know?
Were the first team to qualify and the only side with a 100% record in their group.

Poland

Qualifying Group D runners-up, best three runners-up: P10 W7 D1 L2 F24 A10
Qualifying top scorers: Filip Szymczak (5)
U21 EURO best: Quarter-finals (1982, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1994)
Last U21 EURO: 2019 (group stage)

Did you know?
This is Poland's third qualification in five editions, having not made the finals between 1994 and 2017, when they were hosts.

Portugal

Qualifying Group G winners: P10 W9 D0 L1 F33 A6
Qualifying top scorer: Fábio Silva (8)
U21 EURO best: Runners-up (1994, 2015, 2021)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (quarter-finals)

Did you know?
Fábio Silva was the top scorer in the qualifying group stage and is within one of the career record of 15 U21 EURO goals (including qualifying) jointly held by Lampros Choutos (Greece), Tomáš Pekhart (Czechia) and George Puşcaş (Romania).

Romania

Qualifying Group E winners: P10 W7 D1 L2 F23 A10
Qualifying top scorer: Louis Munteanu (5)
U21 EURO best: Semi-finals (2019)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (group stage)

Did you know?
Before 2019 Romania had only once been in the final tournament, in 1998; they are now in their fourth in a row.

Slovakia

Qualified automatically as hosts
U21 EURO best: 2000 (fourth place)
Last U21 EURO: 2017 (group stage)

Did you know?
Their only previous finals appearances came when hosting the first edition with a group stage in 2000, where they finished fourth, and when they qualified in 2017, finishing second in the group but missing the semi-finals on goal difference.

Slovenia

Qualifying Group H winners: P8 W5 D2 L1 F13 A7
Qualifying top scorers: Tio Cipot (6)
U21 EURO best: Group stage (2021)
Last U21 EURO: 2021 (group stage)

Did you know?
This is the first time Slovenia have got through qualifying having played in the 2021 finals as co-hosts.

Spain

Qualifying Group B winners: P10 W9 D1 L0 F28 A5
Qualifying top scorer: Samu Omorodion (6)
U21 EURO best: Winners x 5 (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013, 2019)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (runners-up)

Did you know?
Reached their ninth final in 2023, two more than anyone else.

Ukraine

Qualifying Group F runners-up, best three runners-up: P10 W8 D0 L2 F20 A7
Qualifying top scorer: Nazar Voloshyn (4)
U21 EURO best: Runners-up (2006)
Last U21 EURO: 2023 (semi-finals)

Did you know?
Have qualified twice in a row for the first time.