Sweden men's national under-21 football team

The Sweden national under-21 football team is the football team representing Sweden in competitions for under-21 year old players and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association. The Swedish U21 team came into existence, following the realignment of UEFA European Under-23 Championship, which changed to be an Under-21 competition in 1978.

Sweden Under-21
Nickname(s)Blågult (The Blue-Yellow)
AssociationSvenska Fotbollförbundet (SvFF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachDaniel Bäckström
CaptainArmin Gigović
Most capsOscar Hiljemark (37)
Top scorerCarlos Strandberg
Ola Toivonen (13)
First colours
Second colours
First international
U23
 Denmark 3–2 Sweden 
(Esbjerg, Denmark; 22 June 1952)
U21
 Finland 1–3 Sweden 
(Vaasa, Finland; 11 August 1976)
Biggest win
U23
 Sweden 9–2 Finland 
(Växjö, Sweden; 10 June 1956)
 Finland 0–7 Sweden 
(Oulu, Finland; 22 September 1957)
U21
 Sweden 10–0 Armenia 
(Lublin, Poland; 13 October 2020)
Biggest defeat
U23
 Poland 6–1 Sweden 
(Warsaw, Poland; 7 October 1964)
U21
 Ukraine 6–0 Sweden 
(Kyiv, Ukraine; 31 May 2012)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances9 (first in 1972)
Best resultChampions (2015)

Sweden made their first European Under-21 Championship appearance in 1986. In 2015, Sweden became champions for the first time.[1] They finished second in 1992 and they also reached the semi-finals in 1990 and 2009.[2] Oscar Hiljemark is the most capped player for the Swedish U21 team, having played 37 caps between 2011 and 2015. Ola Toivonen and Carlos Strandberg are the top goalscorers for the Swedish U21 team, having scored 13 goals each.

Competitive record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  0000 Tournament held on home soil  

Sweden national under-21 football team celebrating in June 2015, after winning the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

UEFA European U-23 Championship
UEFA European Under-23 Championship record UEFA European Under-23 Championship qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1972 Quarter-finals 6th 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 3 0 1 8 2
1974 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 6 5
1976 4 2 1 1 6 6
Total Best: Quarter-finals 1/3 2 1 0 1 2 3 12 7 2 3 20 13

UEFA European U-21 Championship
UEFA European Under-21 Championship record UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1978 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 6 8
1980 4 0 1 3 1 4
1982 4 1 1 2 3 6
1984 4 2 1 1 10 4
1986 Quarter-finals 6th 2 0 1 1 2 3 6 4 1 1 7 3
1988 Did not qualify 6 1 4 1 6 6
1990 Semi-finals 3rd 4 2 1 1 7 4 6 4 2 0 10 2
1992 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 4 4 6 4 2 0 17 3
France 1994 Did not qualify 10 4 4 2 21 8
Spain 1996 8 5 1 2 15 4
Romania 1998 Quarter-finals 6th 3 1 0 2 3 3 10 9 0 1 30 6
Slovakia 2000 Did not qualify 8 2 0 6 7 15
Switzerland 2002 12 6 4 2 22 10
Germany 2004 Fourth place 4th 5 3 1 1 11 7 10 5 3 2 20 14
Portugal 2006 Did not qualify 10 6 0 4 16 12
Netherlands 2007 4 3 0 1 8 6
Sweden 2009 Semi-finals 3rd 4 2 1 1 12 7 Qualified as hosts
Denmark 2011 Did not qualify 10 6 2 2 17 10
Israel 2013 12 7 1 4 20 14
Czech Republic 2015 Champions 1st 5 2 2 1 7 4 10 6 1 3 24 17
Poland 2017 Group stage 9th 3 0 2 1 2 5 10 7 3 0 24 7
ItalySan Marino 2019 Did not qualify 10 6 2 2 19 8
HungarySlovenia 2021 9 5 0 4 28 12
RomaniaGeorgia (country) 2023 10 5 3 2 22 8
Slovakia 2025 To be determined 6 3 1 2 13 5
Total 1 title 8/24 32 13 9 10 48 37 189 102 38 49 366 192

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the friendly match against Cyprus on 22 March 2024 and the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against North Macedonia on 26 March 2024.[3]

Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2024.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Oliver Dovin (2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 9 0 Sweden Hammarby IF
12 1GK Noel Törnqvist (2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 5 0 Sweden Mjällby AIF
1GK Filip Sidklev (2005-03-13) 13 March 2005 0 0 Sweden IF Brommapojkarna
2 2DF Joe Mendes (2002-12-31) 31 December 2002 12 0 Portugal Braga
3 2DF Noah Eile (2002-07-19) 19 July 2002 5 0 United States New York Red Bulls
4 2DF Daniel Svensson (2002-02-12) 12 February 2002 18 1 Denmark Nordsjælland
5 2DF Samuel Dahl (2003-03-04) 4 March 2003 5 0 Sweden Djurgårdens IF
14 2DF Jesper Tolinsson (2003-02-28) 28 February 2003 13 0 Belgium Lommel
15 2DF Noah Persson (2003-07-16) 16 July 2003 12 0 Switzerland Young Boys
19 2DF Jonas Rouhi (2004-01-07) 7 January 2004 1 0 Italy Juventus Next Gen
2DF Elias Olsson (2003-04-23) 23 April 2003 1 0 Poland Lechia Gdańsk
6 3MF Armin Gigović (captain) (2002-04-06) 6 April 2002 21 2 Denmark Midtjylland
8 3MF Yasin Ayari (2003-10-06) 6 October 2003 12 2 England Blackburn Rovers
10 3MF Sebastian Nanasi (2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 8 1 Sweden Malmö FF
13 3MF Otto Rosengren (2003-05-16) 16 May 2003 10 3 Sweden Malmö FF
16 3MF Melker Widell (2002-04-19) 19 April 2002 3 1 Denmark AaB
3MF Patric Åslund (2002-08-01) 1 August 2002 1 0 Sweden Västerås SK
7 4FW Roony Bardghji (2005-11-15) 15 November 2005 10 2 Denmark Copenhagen
9 4FW Oscar Vilhelmsson (2003-10-02) 2 October 2003 6 6 Germany Darmstadt 98
11 4FW Lucas Bergvall (2006-02-02) 2 February 2006 5 1 Sweden Djurgårdens IF
17 4FW Taha Ayari (2005-05-10) 10 May 2005 1 0 Sweden AIK
18 4FW Momodou Sonko (2005-01-31) 31 January 2005 2 1 Belgium Gent
20 4FW Jusef Erabi (2003-06-08) 8 June 2003 4 1 Sweden Hammarby IF

Recent call-ups

The following 36 players are still eligible for the U21 team (i.e. born in 2002 or later) and have previously been called up to the squad.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK David Čelić (2003-03-08) 8 March 2003 0 0 Sweden IK Sirius v.  Georgia, 17 October 2023
GK Sebastian Selin (2003-01-11) 11 January 2003 0 0 Sweden Hammarby TFF v.  Gibraltar, 19 June 2023
GK Hannes Sveijer (2002-04-28) 28 April 2002 0 0 Sweden AFC Eskilstuna v.  Colombia, 26 March 2023
GK Wille Jakobsson (2002-01-07) 7 January 2002 0 0 Sweden Degerfors IF v.  Azerbaijan, 20 November 2022
DF Casper Widell (2003-05-05) 5 May 2003 6 0 Netherlands Excelsior v.  North Macedonia, 26 March 2024 WD
DF Nils Zätterström (2005-03-29) 29 March 2005 0 0 Sweden Malmö FF v.  North Macedonia, 26 March 2024 WD
DF Zinedin Smajlović (2003-12-20) 20 December 2003 3 0 Italy Lecco v.  Netherlands, 20 November 2023
DF Markus Karlsson (2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 0 0 Sweden Hammarby IF v.  North Macedonia, 8 September 2023
DF Emin Hasić (2003-02-08) 8 February 2003 3 1 Sweden IFK Värnamo v.  Gibraltar, 19 June 2023
DF Johan Bångsbo (2003-02-10) 10 February 2003 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Gibraltar, 19 June 2023
DF Casper Nilsson (2003-11-26) 26 November 2003 2 0 England Brighton & Hove Albion v.  Gibraltar, 19 June 2023 WD
DF Hussein Ali IRQ (2002-03-01) 1 March 2002 5 0 Netherlands Heerenveen v.  Azerbaijan, 20 November 2022
DF Niclas Bergmark (2002-01-07) 7 January 2002 1 0 Sweden Örebro SK v.  Azerbaijan, 20 November 2022
MF Williot Swedberg (2004-02-01) 1 February 2004 5 1 Spain Celta Vigo v.  Netherlands, 20 November 2023
MF Hugo Bolin (2003-07-24) 24 July 2003 1 0 Sweden Malmö FF v.  Netherlands, 20 November 2023
MF Hugo Larsson (2004-06-27) 27 June 2004 3 1 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt v.  North Macedonia, 8 September 2023
MF Tom Strannegård (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 0 0 Norway IK Start v.  Gibraltar, 19 June 2023
MF Hussein Carneil (2003-05-09) 9 May 2003 2 0 Sweden IFK Göteborg v.  Colombia, 26 March 2023 WD
MF Aimar Sher (2002-12-20) 20 December 2002 2 0 Norway Sarpsborg 08 v.  Colombia, 26 March 2023
MF David Edvardsson (2002-03-05) 5 March 2002 3 0 Sweden Landskrona BoIS v.  Azerbaijan, 20 November 2022
MF Alper Demirol (2002-10-01) 1 October 2002 2 0 Sweden Degerfors IF v.  Azerbaijan, 20 November 2022
MF Dennis Collander (2002-05-09) 9 May 2002 3 0 Sweden Hammarby IF v.  Italy, 12 October 2021 WD
FW Mayckel Lahdo (2002-12-30) 30 December 2002 8 2 Netherlands AZ v.  North Macedonia, 26 March 2024 WD
FW Isak Jansson (2002-01-31) 31 January 2002 3 0 Austria Rapid Wien v.  North Macedonia, 26 March 2024 WD
FW Joel Voelkerling Persson (2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 5 0 Netherlands Vitesse v.  Netherlands, 20 November 2023
FW Ahmed Qasem (2003-07-12) 12 July 2003 3 0 Sweden IF Elfsborg v.  Netherlands, 20 November 2023 WD
FW Joakim Persson (2002-04-03) 3 April 2002 2 1 Sweden IK Sirius v.  Netherlands, 20 November 2023
FW Omar Faraj (2002-03-09) 9 March 2002 5 4 Sweden AIK v.  Georgia, 17 October 2023
FW Jacob Ondrejka (2002-09-02) 2 September 2002 6 1 Belgium Antwerp v.  North Macedonia, 8 September 2023
FW Tim Prica (2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 11 4 Sweden IFK Norrköping v.  Gibraltar, 19 June 2023
FW Camil Jebara (2003-01-19) 19 January 2003 1 0 Sweden IF Elfsborg v.  Gibraltar, 19 June 2023
FW Noah Shamoun SYR (2002-12-08) 8 December 2002 2 0 Denmark Randers FC v.  Colombia, 26 March 2023
FW Oscar Uddenäs (2002-08-17) 17 August 2002 2 1 Netherlands Excelsior v.  Azerbaijan, 20 November 2022
FW Paulos Abraham (2002-07-16) 16 July 2002 8 2 Sweden IFK Göteborg v.  Italy, 9 June 2022
FW Anthony Elanga (2002-04-27) 27 April 2002 8 7 England Nottingham Forest v.  Republic of Ireland, 16 November 2021
FW Erik Ring (2002-04-24) 24 April 2002 2 0 Sweden AIK v.  Republic of Ireland, 16 November 2021
Notes
  • PRE = Preliminary squad / standby
  • SUS = Serving suspension
  • WD = Player withdrew from the squad
  • IRQ = Switched to Iraq national team
  • SYR = Switched to Syria national team

Previous squads
  • 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad
  • 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad
  • 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad
  • 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad
  • 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad

Players with most caps and goals

Updated as of 7 June 2018. Note that the matches played by Sweden Olympic football team in 1992 and 2016 are included here, as the Swedish Football Association recognizes them as Under-21 matches.

Top 10 most capped players
Oscar Hiljemark holds the record for most appearances made for the team, having 37 caps.
# Player Career Caps Goals
1 Oscar Hiljemark 2011–2015 37 4
2 Alexander Farnerud 2002–2006 36 12
3 Jonny Rödlund 1990–1993 35 11
4 Simon Tibbling 2012–2017 33 2
5 Magnus Johansson 1990–1993 32 0
6 Mikael Dorsin 2000–2004 31 1
Mattias Bjärsmyr 2005–2009 31 0
8 Johan Elmander 2000–2004 30 12
Tommy Jönsson 1995–1998 30 2
Sven Andersson 1981–1986 30 0

Top 10 goalscorers
Ola Toivonen, with 13 goals is the team's joint top goalscorer with Carlos Strandberg, Toivonen being the first to reach the tally.
# Player Career Goals Caps
1 Carlos Strandberg 2015–2018 13 18
Ola Toivonen 2006–2009 13 28
3 Pär-Olof Ohlsson 1972–1977 12 19
John Guidetti 2010–2015 12 23
Johan Elmander 2000–2004 12 30
Alexander Farnerud 2002–2006 12 36
7 Mikael Ishak 2012–2016 11 27
Jonny Rödlund 1990–1993 11 35
9 Niklas Skoog 1994–1995 10 14
10 Tord Grip 1958–1961 9 10
Lasse Larsson 1982–1987 9 10

See also

References
  1. "EM-guld efter straffdrama!" (in Swedish). Svenskfotboll. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  2. "EM-sorti på straffar efter mirakelvändning" (in Swedish). Svenskfotboll. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  3. "Bäckströms marstrupp presenterad" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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