Germany national under-21 football team

The Germany national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Germany in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and is controlled by the German Football Association (DFB), the governing body of football in Germany.

Germany Under-21
Shirt badge/Association crest
AssociationDeutscher Fußball-Bund
Head coachAntonio Di Salvo
CaptainJonathan Burkardt
Most capsFabian Ernst (31)
Top scorerPierre Littbarski (18)
First colours
Second colours
First international
U-23:
Germany West Germany 3–3 Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
(Frankfurt, West Germany; 25 June 1955)
U-21:
Poland Poland 1–0 West Germany Germany
(Toruń, Poland; 10 October 1979)
Biggest win
U-23:
Germany West Germany 3–0 Turkey Turkey
(Augsburg, West Germany; 24 April 1971)
U-21:
 San Marino 0–11 Germany 
(Serravalle, San Marino; 17 November 2009)
Biggest defeat
U-23:
Soviet Union Soviet Union 3–1 West Germany Germany
(Yerevan, Soviet Union; 29 April 1972)
U-21:
 Portugal 5–0 Germany 
(Olomouc, Czech Republic; 27 June 2015)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances14 (first in 1982)
Best resultWinners (2009, 2017, 2021)

Before the reunification of Germany, East Germany and West Germany played as separate entities — the two teams played separately until summer 1990. Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, international under-21 football in Europe began. A West German team, however, did not compete in the U-21 European Championship until the qualifying round (beginning in 1980) of the 1982 competition.

West Germany competed in the first two under-23 competitions, which finished in 1972 and 1974. The first under-21 competition finals were in 1978, and since the under-21 competition rules state that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an under-23 competition.

The current Germany team can be legitimately considered as the current incarnation of the West German team, since the West Germany flag, uniform, and football association all became those of the unified Germany. In effect, the West German team absorbed the East German team to become 'the Germany national under-21 football team'.

For these reasons, the record of West Germany for the U-23 and U-21 competitions is shown below.

Competitive record

For the East Germany team record, look here.

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

UEFA U-23 Championship record

UEFA European Under-23 Championship finals record Qualifications record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GF GA GP W D L GF GA
Europe 1972Quarterfinals8th201113 65101111972
Europe 1974did not qualify 4211731974
Europe 1976did not enter did not enter1976
TotalQuarterfinals1/3201113 10721184Total

UEFA U-21 Championship record

UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals record Qualifications record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GF GA GP W D L GF GA
Europe 1978did not enter did not enter 1978
Europe 1980 1980
Europe 1982Runners-up2nd6402159 65011551982
Europe 1984did not qualify 63301341984
Europe 1986 6312961986
Europe 1988 63031291988
Europe 1990Quarterfinals6th201123 64201021990
Europe 1992Quarterfinals6th201145 44001211992
France 1994did not qualify 85032081994
Spain 1996Quarterfinals7th201114 86112251996
Romania 1998Quarterfinals5th320132 86202031998
Slovakia 2000did not qualify 8413972000
Switzerland 2002 85121872002
Germany 2004Group stage6th310245 85211362004
Portugal 2006Group stage7th310214 129302752006
Netherlands 2007did not qualify 4202862007
Sweden 2009Champions1st532081 106312642009
Denmark 2011did not qualify 833226102011
Israel 2013Group stage6th310245 12102043112013
Czech Republic 2015Semifinals3rd412157 108203052015
Poland 2017Champions1st531183 1010003582017
Italy 2019Runners-up2nd5311157 108113372019
Hungary Slovenia 2021Champions1st633094 860222102021
Romania Georgia (country) 2023Group stage-301225 109013292023
Total 3 titles 14/24 52 22 13* 17 81 64 1761242725465138Total

Individual awards

EURO Under-21 dream team

On 17 June 2015, UEFA revealed an all-time best XI from the previous Under-21 final tournaments.[1]

Included players from Germany:

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany 6 5 1 0 15 4 +11 16 Final tournament 3–1 11 Oct '24 0–0 4–1 2–0
2  Poland 7 5 0 2 14 6 +8 15 Play-offs 15 Oct '24 0–1 3–0 5–0 2–1
3  Bulgaria 7 3 3 1 14 7 +7 12 2–3 10 Sep '24 1–1 6–0 1–0
4  Kosovo 7 2 3 2 8 10 2 9 0–3 11 Oct '24 2–2 2–0 3–1
5  Estonia (E) 6 0 1 5 2 19 17 1 10 Sep '24 0–1 1–1 15 Oct '24 7 Sep '24
6  Israel (E) 5 0 0 5 3 10 7 0 4 Sep '24 1–2 15 Oct '24 10 Sep '24 10 Oct '24
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated

Results and fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

22 June 2023 2023 UEFA EC Germany  1–1  Israel Kutaisi, Georgia
20:00 Bisseck 26' Report Turgeman 20' Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium
Referee: Willy Delajod (France)
25 June 2023 2023 UEFA EC Czech Republic  2–1  Germany Batumi, Georgia
20:00
  • Sejk 33'
  • Vitík 87'
Report Stiller 70' Stadium: Batumi Stadium
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway)
28 June 2023 2023 UEFA EC England  2–0  Germany Batumi, Georgia
20:00
Report Stadium: Batumi Stadium
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan)
8 September 2023 Friendly Germany  2–0  Ukraine Saarbrücken
18:15
  • Beier 53'
  • Lemperle 88'
Report Stadium: Ludwigsparkstadion
Attendance: 6,503
Referee: Jasmin Sabotic (Luxembourg)
12 September 2023 2025 UEFA EC Q Kosovo  0–3  Germany Pristina
19:00 Report
Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium
Attendance: 1,950
Referee: Mikkel Redder (Denmark)
13 October 2023 2025 UEFA EC Q Bulgaria  2–3  Germany Sofia
18:15
  • Shopov 25'
  • N. Iliev 90+3'
Report Moukoko 40', 49', 69' Stadium: Stadion Aleksandar Shalamanov
Attendance: 1,223
Referee: Nathan Verboomen (Belgium)
17 November 2023 2025 UEFA EC Q Germany  4–1  Estonia Paderborn
18:00
  • Beier 39'
  • Moukoko 53'
  • Reitz 88', 90+4'
Report Kuraksin 64' Stadium: Home Deluxe Arena
Attendance: 5,493
Referee: Danijar Sachi (Kazakhstan)
21 November 2023 2025 UEFA EC Q Germany  3–1  Poland Essen
18:00
  • Martel 56'
  • Woltemade 79'
  • Röhl 82'
Report Mosór 24' Stadium: Stadion an der Hafenstraße
Attendance: 8,559
Referee: Kyriakos Athanasiou (Cyprus)
22 March 2024 2025 UEFA EC Q Germany  0–0  Kosovo Chemnitz
18:00 Report Stadium: Stadion an der Gellertstraße
Attendance: 6,899
Referee: Daniele Chiffi (Italy)
26 March 2024 2025 UEFA EC Q Germany  2–0  Israel Halle
18:00
  • Gruda 14'
  • Röhl 56'
Report Stadium: Leuna Chemie Stadion
Attendance: 4,766
Referee: John Brooks (England)
4 September 2024 2025 UEFA EC Q Israel  v  Germany
Report
Note: The match, originally scheduled for 17 October 2023, was postponed due to the Israel–Hamas war.[2]
10 September 2024 2025 UEFA EC Q Estonia  v  Germany
Report
11 October 2024 2025 UEFA EC Q Germany  v  Bulgaria
Report
15 October 2024 2025 UEFA EC Q Poland  v  Germany
Report

Players

Current squad

Players born in or after 2002 are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The following players were called up for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Kosovo and Israel on 22 and 26 March 2024.[3]

Note: Names in italics denote players that have been called up to the senior team.

Caps and goals correct as of 26 March 2024.[4]
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Noah Atubolu (2002-05-25) 25 May 2002 14 0 Germany SC Freiburg
12 1GK Jonas Urbig (2003-08-08) 8 August 2003 3 0 Germany Jahn Regensburg
23 1GK Felix Gebhardt (2002-03-01) 1 March 2002 0 0 Germany Jahn Regensburg

2 2DF Julian Eitschberger (2004-03-05) 5 March 2004 1 0 Germany Hallescher FC
3 2DF Nathaniel Brown (2003-06-16) 16 June 2003 4 0 Germany 1. FC Nürnberg
4 2DF Bright Arrey-Mbi (2003-03-26) 26 March 2003 5 0 Germany Hannover 96
5 2DF Jamil Siebert (2002-04-02) 2 April 2002 4 0 Germany Fortuna Düsseldorf
14 2DF Linus Gechter (2004-02-27) 27 February 2004 2 0 Germany Hertha BSC
15 2DF Joshua Quarshie (2004-07-26) 26 July 2004 0 0 Germany Fortuna Düsseldorf
16 2DF Luca Netz (2003-05-15) 15 May 2003 14 0 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach

6 3MF Eric Martel (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 16 1 Germany 1. FC Köln
7 3MF Ansgar Knauff (2002-01-10) 10 January 2002 16 1 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
8 3MF Merlin Röhl (2002-07-05) 5 July 2002 7 2 Germany SC Freiburg
11 3MF Jan Thielmann (2002-05-26) 26 May 2002 11 1 Germany 1. FC Köln
13 3MF Jens Castrop (2003-07-29) 29 July 2003 1 0 Germany 1. FC Nürnberg
17 3MF Brajan Gruda (2004-05-31) 31 May 2004 7 1 Germany Mainz 05
18 3MF Rocco Reitz (2002-05-29) 29 May 2002 4 2 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach
20 3MF Paul Nebel (2002-10-10) 10 October 2002 3 0 Germany Karlsruher SC
22 3MF Umut Tohumcu (2004-08-11) 11 August 2004 1 0 Germany TSG Hoffenheim

9 4FW Youssoufa Moukoko (2004-11-20) 20 November 2004 13 12 Germany Borussia Dortmund
10 4FW Nick Woltemade (2002-02-14) 14 February 2002 6 1 Germany Werder Bremen
19 4FW Armindo Sieb (2003-02-17) 17 February 2003 1 0 Germany Greuther Fürth
21 4FW Nicolò Tresoldi (2004-08-20) 20 August 2004 3 0 Germany Hannover 96

Recent call-ups

The following players have previously been called up to the Germany under-21 squad in the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Tjark Ernst (2003-03-15) 15 March 2003 0 0 Germany Hertha BSC v.  Kosovo, 12 September 2023

DF Colin Kleine-Bekel (2003-01-24) 24 January 2003 5 1 Germany Holstein Kiel v.  Kosovo, 26 March 2024
DF Márton Dárdai (2002-02-12) 12 February 2002 8 0 Germany Hertha BSC v.  Poland, 21 November 2023
DF Leandro Morgalla (2004-09-13) 13 September 2004 3 0 Austria Red Bull Salzburg v.  Poland, 21 November 2023
DF Kenneth Schmidt (2002-06-03) 3 June 2002 4 0 Germany SC Freiburg v.  Bulgaria, 13 October 2023
DF Clemens Riedel (2003-07-19) 19 July 2003 1 0 Germany Darmstadt 98 v.  Bulgaria, 13 October 2023
DF Tom Rothe (2004-10-29) 29 October 2004 1 0 Germany Holstein Kiel v.  Kosovo, 12 September 2023
DF Marco John (2002-04-02) 2 April 2002 1 0 Germany 1899 Hoffenheim v.  Ukraine, 8 September 2023

MF Tim Breithaupt (2002-02-07) 7 February 2002 3 0 Germany FC Augsburg v.  Poland, 21 November 2023
MF Robert Wagner (2003-07-14) 14 July 2003 3 0 Germany Greuther Fürth v.  Bulgaria, 13 October 2023
FW Nicolò Tresoldi (2004-08-20) 20 August 2004 1 0 Germany Hannover 96 v.  Kosovo, 12 September 2023

FW Tim Lemperle (2002-02-05) 5 February 2002 7 1 Germany 1. FC Köln v.  Poland, 21 November 2023
FW Maximilian Beier (2002-10-17) 17 October 2002 5 2 Germany 1899 Hoffenheim v.  Poland, 21 November 2023
FW Karim Adeyemi (2002-01-18) 18 January 2002 4 0 Germany Borussia Dortmund v.  Bulgaria, 13 October 2023
FW Nelson Weiper (2005-03-17) 17 March 2005 3 0 Germany Mainz 05 v.  Ukraine, 8 September 2023

Past squads

  • 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
  • 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Player records

Former coaches

See also

Notes

    References

    1. "Our all-time Under-21 EURO dream team". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
    2. "UEFA postpones matches in Israel". UEFA.com. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
    3. "Di Salvo beruft drei Neulinge". dfb.de. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
    4. "U 21-Nationalteam Männer Team". dfb.de. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
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