France national under-21 football team

France Under-21
Nickname(s)	Les Bleuets (The Little Blues) ; Les Espoirs (The Hopes)
Association	French Football Federation
Head coach	Gérald Baticle
Captain	Castello Lukeba
Most caps	Mickaël Landreau (46)
Top scorer	Odsonne Édouard (17)
First colours	Second colours
First international
	France 7–1 England ; (Le Havre, France; 22 May 1952)
Biggest win
	France 9–0 Cyprus ; (Grenoble, France; 17 October 2023)
Biggest defeat
	England 6–0 France ; (Sheffield, England; 28 February 1984); Records for competitive; matches only.
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances	11 (first in 1982 )
Best result	Winners (1988)

Last updated September 09, 2025

The France national under-21 football team (French : Equipe de France Espoirs), known in France as Les Espoirs (French pronunciation: [ɛs.pwaʁ] , The Hopes), is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two years.

Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, under-21 football teams in Europe were formed. The team is exclusively for football players that are age 21 or under at the start of the two-year campaign of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, meaning a player can represent the national team until the age of 23.

France has won the Under-21 Championship once, in 1988. Notable players on the team that went on to play for the senior national team include Laurent Blanc, Eric Cantona, Franck Sauzée, and Jocelyn Angloma, among others.^[1] Blanc was named the tournament's Golden Player.^[2] The team's best finish since was in 2002 when the team finished runners-up to the Czech Republic in Switzerland.

The France under-21 team does not have a permanent home. The team plays in stadiums located all around France, particularly grounds of Ligue 2 clubs. Because of the smaller demand compared to the senior national team, smaller facilities are used. Recently, the under-21 team has established the Stade Auguste-Delaune II, home of Stade Reims, as a home residence having played numerous matches there over the past two seasons.

History

Though, under-21 teams weren't formed until 1976, Les Espoirs, a youth national team in France, had existed since 1950 playing its first match on 22 May 1952 defeating England 7–1 at the Stade Jules Deschaseaux in Le Havre. The team's next match was two years later suffering a 3–1 defeat to Italy in Vicenza. For the rest of the decade, the youth team played seven more matches, which included a 1–1 draw with Hungary in Budapest and a 2–0 loss to England in Sunderland in 1959. In the 1960s, Espoirs continued to play matches against fellow national youth sides. However, on 18 December 1968, the team contested a match against Algeria senior team in Algiers recording an impressive 5–2 victory. Four days later, the team draw 1–1 with the under-23 team of Algeria in Oran. On 12 February 1969, the Espoirs played the Hungary senior team at the Stade Gerland in Lyon. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.

Team image

Media coverage

France's under-21 football friendlies and qualifying matches are broadcast by Direct 8.

Results and fixtures

Legend

Win Draw Lose Fixture

2023

25 MarchFriendly	England	4–0	France	Leicester, England
	Smith Rowe 51' Madueke 77' Jones 79' Ramsey 86'	Report		Stadium: King Power Stadium Referee: Joey Kooij (Netherlands)

28 MarchFriendly	France	0–0	Spain	Vannes, France
		Report		Stadium: Stade de la Rabine

16 JuneFriendly	France	1–0	Mexico	Grenoble, France
	Caqueret 34'	Report		Stadium: Stade des Alpes

22 June U21 Euro 2023 GS	France	2–1	Italy	Cluj-Napoca, Romania
21:45 EEST (UTC+3)	Kalimuendo 22' Barcola 62'	Report	Pellegri 36'	Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 11,286 Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)

25 June U21 Euro 2023 GS	Norway	0–1	France	Cluj-Napoca, Romania
21:45 EEST (UTC+3)		Report	Olise 57'	Stadium: Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Attendance: 1,507 Referee: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania)

28 June U21 Euro 2023 GS	Switzerland	1–4	France	Cluj-Napoca, Romania
21:45 EEST (UTC+3)	Ndoye 35'	Report	Gouiri 16' (pen.) Barcola 65' Cherki 76' Caqueret 81'	Stadium: Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Attendance: 1,652 Referee: Morten Krogh (Denmark)

2 July U21 Euro 2023 QF	France	1–3	Ukraine	Cluj-Napoca, Romania
22:00 EEST (UTC+3)	Cherki 19'	Report	Sudakov 32' (pen.), 44' Bondarenko 86'	Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 6,281 Referee: João Pinheiro (Portugal)

7 SeptemberFriendly	France	4–1	Denmark	Nancy, France
	Lepenant 23' Cherki 38' Wahi 75', 90'	Report	Cherki 50'	Stadium: Stade Marcel Picot Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Jonathan Lardot (Belgium)

11 September U21 Euro 2025 qualification	Slovenia	0–4	France	Koper, Slovenia
		Report	Barcola 45+1', 57' Cherki 50' Mara 88'	Stadium: Bonifika Stadium Referee: Ondřej Berka (Czech Republic)

13 October U21 Euro 2025 qualification	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–2	France	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
	Bristrić 28'	Report	Cherki 32' Kalimuendo 90+2'	Stadium: Stadion Grbavica Referee: Mohammed Al-Emara (Finland)

17 October U21 Euro 2025 qualification	France	9–0	Cyprus	Grenoble, France
	Antoniou 13' (o.g.) Kalimuendo 30' (pen.), 45' Akliouche 39' Matsima 57' Cherki 65', 80' Tel 69', 90+3'	Report		Stadium: Stade des Alpes Referee: Miloš Bošković (Montenegro)

17 November U21 Euro 2025 qualification	Austria	2–0	France	Ried im Innkreis, Austria
	Koller 25', 75'	Report		Stadium: Josko Arena Referee: Robert Jones (England

20 NovemberFriendly	France	0–3	South Korea	Le Havre, France
		Report	Jeong Sang-bin 70', 79' Hong Yun-sang 90+4'	Stadium: Stade Océane Referee: Andrei Florin Chivulete (Romania)

2024

6 September U21 Euro 2025 qualification	France	1–1	Slovenia	Troyes, France
	Doué 54'	Report	Cipot 37'	Stadium: Stade de l'Aube Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero (Spain)

10 September U21 Euro 2025 qualification	France	2–0	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Le Mans, France
	Akliouche 35' Ekitike 57' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Stade Marie-Marvingt Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia)

11 October U21 Euro 2025 qualification	Cyprus	0–3	France	Achna, Cyprus
		Report	Ekitike 28' Akliouche 68' Nianzou 89'	Stadium: Dasaki Stadium Referee: Ion Orlic (Moldova)

15 October U21 Euro 2025 qualification	France	1–2	Austria	Nancy, France
	Kalimuendo 87'	Report	Hedl 59' Ballo 74'	Stadium: Stade Marcel Picot Referee: Mihály Káprály (Hungary)

15 NovemberFriendly	Italy	2–2	France	Empoli, Italy
	Casadei 16' Ambrosino 44'	Report	Cherki 58' Atangana 65'	Stadium: Stadio Carlo Castellani Referee: Christos Vergetis (Greece)

19 NovemberFriendly	France	2–2	Germany	Valenciennes, France
	Tel 62' Tchaouna 90'	Report	Beier 4', 50'	Stadium: Stade du Hainaut Referee: Andrea Colombo (Italy)

2025

21 MarchFriendly	France	5–3	England	Lorient, France
	Merlin 4' Ekitike 7', 35', 55' Cherki 76'	Report	McAtee 2' Elliott 37' Delap 61'	Stadium: Stade du Moustoir Attendance: 15,271 Referee: Lothar D'Hondt (Belgium)

24 MarchFriendly	Slovakia	0–4	France	Trnava, Slovakia
		Report	Tel 20', 23' Kalimuendo 57', 68'	Stadium: Anton Malatinský Stadium Referee: Gergő Bogár (Hungary)

4 JuneFriendly	France	2–1	Uzbekistan	Orléans, France
21:00	Bahoya 31' (pen.) Odobert 79'	Report	Abdurazzokov 47'	Stadium: Stade de la Source Referee: Sam Barrott (England)

11 June U21 Euro 2025 GS	Portugal	0–0	France	Trenčín, Slovakia
21:00		Report		Stadium: Štadión Sihoť Attendance: 4,932^[3] Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania)

14 June U21 Euro 2025 GS	France	3–2	Georgia	Žilina, Slovakia
21:00	Tel 35' (pen.) Lepenant 89' Barry 90+12'	Report	Abuashvili 76' Sazonov 84'	Stadium: Štadión pod Dubňom Attendance: 3,687^[4] Referee: Jakob Sundberg (Denmark)

17 June U21 Euro 2025 GS	France	4–1	Poland	Žilina, Slovakia
18:00	Zézé 18' Cissé 19', 29' Abline 82'	Report	Mosór 61'	Stadium: Štadión pod Dubňom Attendance: 7,288^[5] Referee: Nenad Minaković (Serbia)

22 June U21 Euro 2025 QF	Denmark	2–3	France	Prešov, Slovakia
21:00	Bischoff 18' Sørensen 49'	Report	Cissé 44' Merlin 84' Tel 85'	Stadium: Futbal Tatran Arena Attendance: 5,513^[6] Referee: Sander van der Eijk (Netherlands)

25 June U21 Euro 2025 SF	Germany	3–0	France	Košice, Slovakia
21:00	Weiper 8' Woltemade 14' Gruda 90+5'	Report		Stadium: Košická futbalová aréna Attendance: 11,913^[7] Referee: Nick Walsh (Scotland)

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

As of 21 August 2024

Position	Name	Nationality
Head coach	Gérald Baticle	French
Assistant coach	Gaël Clichy	French
Goalkeeping coach	Patrick L'Hostis	French
Doctor	Marc Chasselat	French
Physiotherapist	Florian Simon	French

Players

Current squad

For the 2025–26 and 2026–27 seasons, including the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, players born on or after 1 January 2004 are eligible.

The following 22 players were called up for a 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Luxembourg and a friendly against Serbia on 5 and 8 September 2025, respectively.^[8]

Note: Names in italics denote players that have been capped by the senior team.

Caps and goals as of 8 September 2025, after the team's match against Serbia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Guillaume Restes	(2005-03-11) 11 March 2005 (age 20)	17	0	Toulouse
	1 GK	Robin Risser	(2004-12-02) 2 December 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Lens
	1 GK	Ewen Jaouen	(2005-12-29) 29 December 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Reims

2	2 DF	Nathan Zézé	(2005-06-18) 18 June 2005 (age 20)	4	1	Neom
3	2 DF	Saël Kumbedi	(2005-03-26) 26 March 2005 (age 20)	3	0	Lyon
13	2 DF	Christian Mawissa	(2005-04-08) 8 April 2005 (age 20)	4	0	Monaco ^[a]
15	2 DF	Leny Yoro	(2005-11-13) 13 November 2005 (age 19)	5	0	Manchester United
	2 DF	Jaydee Canvot	(2006-07-29) 29 July 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Crystal Palace
	2 DF	Thérence Koudou	(2004-12-13) 13 December 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Mechelen
	2 DF	Nhoa Sangui	(2006-08-29) 29 August 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Paris FC

6	3 MF	Valentin Atangana	(2005-08-25) 25 August 2005 (age 20)	3	1	Reims
8	3 MF	Lesley Ugochukwu	(2004-03-26) 26 March 2004 (age 21)	6	0	Burnley
20	3 MF	Ayyoub Bouaddi	(2007-10-02) 2 October 2007 (age 17)	5	0	Lille
	3 MF	Djaoui Cissé	(2004-01-31) 31 January 2004 (age 21)	5	3	Rennes
	3 MF	Louis Leroux	(2006-01-23) 23 January 2006 (age 19)	1	1	Nantes
	3 MF	Saïmon Bouabré	(2006-06-01) 1 June 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Neom
	3 MF	Kévin Danois	(2004-06-28) 28 June 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Auxerre

7	4 FW	Mathys Tel	(2005-04-27) 27 April 2005 (age 20)	16	9	Tottenham Hotspur
9	4 FW	Jean-Mattéo Bahoya	(2005-05-07) 7 May 2005 (age 20)	3	1	Eintracht Frankfurt
10	4 FW	Wilson Odobert	(2004-11-28) 28 November 2004 (age 20)	12	1	Tottenham Hotspur
	4 FW	Noah Edjouma	(2005-10-04) 4 October 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Toulouse
	4 FW	Eli Junior Kroupi	(2006-06-23) 23 June 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Bournemouth
	4 FW	Mohamed Kader Meïté	(2007-10-11) 11 October 2007 (age 17)	0	0	Rennes

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the France under-21 squad and remain eligible:

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up

DF	Jérémy Jacquet	(2005-07-13) 13 July 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Rennes	v. Luxembourg, 5 September 2025 ^INJ
DF	Kassoum Ouattara	(2004-10-14) 14 October 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Monaco ^[a]	v. Italy, 15 November 2024
DF	Jeanuël Belocian	(2005-02-17) 17 February 2005 (age 20)	5	0	Bayer Leverkusen	v. Austria, 15 October 2024
DF	Yoan Koré	(2004-11-16) 16 November 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Paris FC	v. Spain, 28 March 2023

MF	Andy Diouf	(2003-05-17) 17 May 2003 (age 22)	10	0	Inter Milan	2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
MF	Félix Lemaréchal	(2003-08-07) 7 August 2003 (age 22)	5	0	Strasbourg	2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
MF	Mathys Detourbet	(2007-04-29) 29 April 2007 (age 18)	0	0	Troyes	2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship ^PRE
MF	Warren Zaïre-Emery	(2006-03-08) 8 March 2006 (age 19)	4	0	Paris Saint-Germain	v. Cyprus, 17 October 2023 ^SEN

FW	Tidiam Gomis	(2006-08-08) 8 August 2006 (age 19)	0	0	RB Leipzig	2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship ^PRE
FW	Désiré Doué	(2005-06-03) 3 June 2005 (age 20)	4	1	Paris Saint-Germain	v. Italy, 15 November 2024
FW	Mohamed-Ali Cho	(2004-01-19) 19 January 2004 (age 21)	8	0	Nice	v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 10 September 2024

Notes

Players in bold have played at senior level.
^CLU Player withdrew from the squad because of a club necessity.
^INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
^PRE Preliminary squad
^SEN Player withdrew from the squad due to a call up to the senior team.
^WD Player withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons.

Previous squads

U-21 European Championship squads

Honours

UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Champions (1): 1988

Runners-up (1): 2002

Third place (1): 1996

Toulon Tournament

Champions (12): 1977, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2015

Finalists (14): 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016

Competitive record

UEFA U-23 Championship

1972: Did not qualify. Finished 4th of 4 in qualification group.
1974: Did not qualify. Finished 3rd of 3 in qualification group.
1976: Losing quarter-finalists.

UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1978	Did not qualify	4	0	1	3	4	6
1980	Did not qualify	4	2	1	1	3	2
1982	Quarter-finals	6	3	1	2	9	8
1984		6	3	1	2	11	9
1986		8	2	3	3	13	13
1988	Champions	12	6	5	1	21	13
1990	Did not qualify	6	3	2	1	11	7
1992	Did not qualify	8	3	2	3	7	5
1994	Fourth place	14	10	2	2	24	8
1996	Third place	14	8	4	2	30	5
1998	Did not qualify	8	4	3	1	13	8
2000	Did not qualify	8	6	2	2	19	6
2002	Runners-up	15	12	3	0	27	7
2004	Did not qualify	10	8	1	1	20	7
2006	Semi-finals	14	10	2	2	24	10
2007	Did not qualify	4	2	1	1	6	3
2009		10	5	3	2	17	7
2011		8	4	3	1	12	6
2013		10	8	0	2	23	7
2015		10	8	1	1	31	11
2017		10	6	2	2	17	8
2019	Semi-finals	14	11	2	1	28	11
2021	Quarter-finals	14	11	0	3	37	13
2023	Quarter-finals	14	11	2	1	39	10
2025	Semi-finals	13	8	2	3	32	14
Total	1 title	236	145	48	43	446	194

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Notes

1 2 Monaco is a Monégasque club playing in the French football league system.

References

↑ "1988: France sweep to final glory". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
↑ "1988: Laurent Blanc". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
↑ "Portugal vs. France" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
↑ "France vs. Georgia" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
↑ "France vs. Poland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
↑ "Denmark vs. France" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
↑ "Germany vs. France" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
↑ "Fédération Française de Football" (in French).

External links

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[mon-9] 1 2 Monaco is a Monégasque club playing in the French football league system.

[1] "1988: France sweep to final glory". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2010.

[2] "1988: Laurent Blanc". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2010.

[3] "Portugal vs. France" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.

[4] "France vs. Georgia" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.

[5] "France vs. Poland" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.

[6] "Denmark vs. France" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.

[7] "Germany vs. France" (JSON). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.

[8] "Fédération Française de Football" (in French).

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