The 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification began in 2000. The final tournament was held in 2002. The 47 national teams were divided into nine groups (one group of four, five groups of 5, and three groups of 6). The records of the nine group runners-up were then compared. The top seven joined the nine winners in a play-off for the eight finals spots. One of the eight qualifiers was then chosen to host the remaining fixtures.
The allocation of teams into qualifying groups was based on that of 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations:
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Switzerland qualify as group winners
Russia fail to qualify as one of best runners-up
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Portugal qualify as group winners
Netherlands qualify as one of best runners-up
Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
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Czech Republic | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 5 | +23 | 27 |
Bulgaria | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 18 |
Denmark | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 15 |
Iceland | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 11 |
Northern Ireland | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 21 | −9 | 8 |
Malta | 10 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 20 | −15 | 4 |
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(*) Match awarded 3-0 to N.Ireland
due to Malta fielding an ineligible player.
Czech Republic qualify as group winners
Bulgaria fail to qualify as one of best runners-up
Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
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Turkey | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 23 |
Sweden | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 19 |
Slovakia | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 16 |
Moldova | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 9 |
Azerbaijan | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 17 | −13 | 9 |
Macedonia | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 18 | −12 | 5 |
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Turkey qualify as group winners
Sweden qualify as one of best runners-up
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Ukraine qualify as group winners
Poland qualify as one of best runners-up
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Belgium qualify as group winners
Croatia qualify as one of best runners-up
Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
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France | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 20 |
Spain | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 16 |
Israel | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 12 |
Austria | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 8 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 17 | −12 | 1 |
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France qualify as group winners
Spain qualify as one of best runners-up
Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
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Italy | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 19 |
Romania | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 16 |
Hungary | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 15 |
Lithuania | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 17 | −12 | 6 |
Georgia | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 3 |
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(*) Match awarded 3-0 to Romania
due to Lithuania fielding an ineligible player.
Italy qualify as group winners
Romania qualify as one of best runners-up
Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
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England | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 8 | +10 | 17 |
Greece | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 6 | +8 | 16 |
Germany | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 16 |
Finland | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 | −13 | 4 |
Albania | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 4 |
England qualify as group winners
Greece qualify as one of best runners-up
Greece (16pts) Germany (16pts) head-to-head:
2-1 in GER, 2-0 in GRE
.: Greece better (3-2 on aggregate)
Because groups contained different number or teams (six, five and four), matches against the fifth- and sixth-placed teams in each group are not included in the ranking. As a result, six matches played by each team counted for the purposes of the second-placed table. The top seven advanced to the play-off.
Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
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9 | Greece | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 6 | +8 | 12 |
4 | Sweden | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 11 |
5 | Poland | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 11 |
6 | Croatia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 11 |
2 | Netherlands | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 11 |
8 | Romania | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 10 |
7 | Spain | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
3 | Bulgaria | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 10 |
1 | Russia | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 9 |
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
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Sweden | 3–4 | Belgium | 3–2 | 0–2 |
Greece | 4–2 | Turkey | 3–0 | 1–2 |
Netherlands | 2–3 | England | 2–2 | 0–1 |
Spain | 2–2 (a) | Portugal | 2–1 | 0–1 |
Croatia | 1–1 (a) | Czech Republic | 1–1 | 0–0 |
Poland | 2–5 | Italy | 2–5 | 0–0 |
Romania | 0–5 | France | 0–1 | 0–4 |
Ukraine | 2–4 | Switzerland | 1–2 | 1–2 |
The Portugal national football team has represented Portugal in international men's football competition since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Portugal, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Cidade do Futebol, is located in Oeiras. The head coach of the team is Roberto Martínez, who replaced Fernando Santos in January 2023 following his stepping down after the 2022 World Cup, and the captain is Cristiano Ronaldo, who also holds the team records for most caps and most goals.
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The Bulgaria national football team represents Bulgaria in men's international football and is administered by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA.
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The Greece national football team represents Greece in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece play most of their home matches in Attica in Athens at the Olympic Stadium. Greece is one of only ten national teams to have been crowned UEFA European Champions.
The Finland national football team represents Finland in men's international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland, the governing body for football in Finland, which was founded in 1907. The team has been a member of FIFA since 1908 and a UEFA member since 1957.
The Israel national football team represents Israel in international football, and is governed by the Israel Football Association (IFA).
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