Germany national under-21 football team

Last updated

Germany Under-21
Deutscher Fussball-Bund logo.svg
Association Deutscher Fußball-Bund
Head coach Antonio Di Salvo
Captain Eric Martel
Most caps Fabian Ernst (31)
Top scorer Pierre Littbarski (18)
Kit left arm ger24h.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body ger24h.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm ger24h.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts ger24h.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
First colours
Kit left arm ger24a.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body ger24a.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm ger24a.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts ger24a.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Second colours
First international
U-23:
Flag of Germany.svg West Germany 3–3 Yugoslavia Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg
(Frankfurt, West Germany; 25 June 1955)
U-21:
Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg Poland 1–0 West Germany Flag of Germany.svg
(Toruń, Poland; 10 October 1979)
Biggest win
U-23:
Flag of Germany.svg West Germany 3–0 Turkey Flag of Turkey.svg
(Augsburg, West Germany; 24 April 1971)
U-21:
Flag of San Marino (1862-2011).svg  San Marino 0–11 Germany  Flag of Germany.svg
(Serravalle, San Marino; 17 November 2009)
Biggest defeat
U-23:
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union 3–1 West Germany Flag of Germany.svg
(Yerevan, Soviet Union; 29 April 1972)
U-21:
Flag of Portugal (official).svg  Portugal 5–0 Germany  Flag of Germany.svg
(Olomouc, Czech Republic; 27 June 2015)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances14 (first in 1982 )
Best resultWinners (2009, 2017, 2021)

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

Contents

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
YearRoundPositionGPWD*LGFGAGPWDLGFGA
Flag of Europe.svg 1972 Quarterfinals8th2011136510111 1972
Flag of Europe.svg 1974 did not qualify421173 1974
Flag of Europe.svg 1976 did not enterdid not enter 1976
TotalQuarterfinals1/320111310721184Total

UEFA U-21 Championship record

UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals record Qualifications record
YearRoundPositionGPWD*LGFGAGPWDLGFGA
Flag of Europe.svg 1978 did not enterdid not enter 1978
Flag of Europe.svg 1980 1980
Flag of Europe.svg 1982 Runners-up2nd64021596501155 1982
Flag of Europe.svg 1984 did not qualify6330134 1984
Flag of Europe.svg 1986 631296 1986
Flag of Europe.svg 1988 6303129 1988
Flag of Europe.svg 1990 Quarterfinals6th2011236420102 1990
Flag of Europe.svg 1992 6th2011454400121 1992
Flag of France.svg 1994 did not qualify8503208 1994
Flag of Spain.svg 1996 Quarterfinals7th2011148611225 1996
Flag of Romania.svg 1998 5th3201328620203 1998
Flag of Slovakia.svg 2000 did not qualify841397 2000
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2002 8512187 2002
Flag of Germany.svg 2004 Group stage6th3102458521136 2004
Flag of Portugal (official).svg 2006 7th31021412930275 2006
Flag of the Netherlands.svg 2007 did not qualify420286 2007
Flag of Sweden.svg 2009 Champions1st53208110631264 2009
Flag of Denmark.svg 2011 did not qualify83322610 2011
Flag of Israel.svg 2013 Group stage6th3102451210204311 2013
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg 2015 Semifinals3rd41215710820305 2015
Flag of Poland.svg 2017 Champions1st531183101000358 2017
Flag of Italy.svg 2019 Runners-up2nd531115710811337 2019
Flag of Hungary.svg Flag of Slovenia.svg 2021 Champions1st63309486022210 2021
Flag of Romania.svg Flag of Georgia.svg 2023 Group stage15th30122510901329 2023
Flag of Slovakia.svg 2025 Runners-up2nd6501177108203510 2025
Total3 titles15/25582713*1898711861322925500148Total

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

2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Germany.svgFlag of Greece.svgFlag of Georgia.svgUlster Banner.svgFlag of Latvia.svgFlag of Malta.svg
1Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 110050+53 Final tournament 10 Oct 6 Oct '26 27 Mar '26 5–0 14 Nov
2Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 110050+53 Play-offs 31 Mar '26 14 Nov 18 Nov 1 Oct '26 27 Mar '26
3Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia 10101101 18 Nov 26 Sep '26 1–1 27 Mar '26 31 Mar '26
4Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 10101101 14 Oct 6 Oct '26 1 Oct '26 13 Nov 9 Oct
5Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia 10010550 26 Sep '26 14 Oct 10 Oct 31 Mar '26 6 Oct '26
6Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 10010550 30 Sep '26 0–5 14 Oct 26 Sep '26 18 Nov
First match(es) will be played: 9 September 2025. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Results and fixtures

  Win  Draw  Loss

11 October 2024 2025 UEFA EC Q Germany  Flag of Germany.svg2–1Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Regensburg
18:00
Report Stadium: Jahnstadion
Attendance: 8,586
Referee: Ben Mcmaster (Northern Ireland)
15 October 20242025 UEFA EC Q Poland  Flag of Poland.svg3–3Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Łódź
17:00 Report Stadium: Widzew Stadium
Attendance: 11,496
Referee: Dario Bel (Croatia)
15 November 2024 Friendly Germany  Flag of Germany.svg3–0Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Aachen
18:00
Report Stadium: New Tivoli
Attendance: 11,872
Referee: Alex Bos (Netherlands)
19 November 2024Friendly France  Flag of France.svg2–2Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Valenciennes
18:15
Report Beier Soccerball shade.svg5', 50'Stadium: Stade du Hainaut
Attendance: 6,111
21 March 2025Friendly Slovakia  Flag of Slovakia.svg0–1Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Trnava
18:00 Report Gruda Soccerball shade.svg34'Stadium: Anton Malatinský Stadium
Attendance: 1,721
Referee: Marek Radina (Czech Republic)
25 March 2025Friendly Germany  Flag of Germany.svg3–1Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Darmstadt
20:30 Woltemade Soccerball shade.svg3', 56', 79' Report Veiga Soccerball shade.svg19'Stadium: Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor
Attendance: 16,267
Referee: Vassilis Fotias (Greece)
12 June 2025 2025 UEFA Euro Germany  Flag of Germany.svg3–0Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia Nitra, Slovakia
21:00 Woltemade Soccerball shade.svg19', 42', 82' (pen.) Report Stadium: Štadión pod Zoborom
Attendance: 2,708
Referee: Jakob Sundberg (Denmark)
15 June 20252025 UEFA Euro Czech Republic  Flag of the Czech Republic.svg2–4Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Dunajská Streda, Slovakia
21:00
Report
Stadium: MOL Aréna
Attendance: 7,870
Referee: Alexis Herrera (Venezuela)
18 June 20252025 UEFA Euro England  Flag of England.svg1–2Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Nitra, Slovakia
21:00
Report
Stadium: Štadión pod Zoborom
Attendance: 5,624
Referee: Sander van der Eijk (Netherlands)
22 June 20252025 UEFA Euro Germany  Flag of Germany.svg3–2 (a.e.t.)Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Dunajská Streda, Slovakia
21:00
Report
Stadium: MOL Aréna
Attendance: 6,503
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania)
25 June 20252025 UEFA Euro Germany  Flag of Germany.svg3–0Flag of France.svg  France Košice, Slovakia
21:00
Report Stadium: Košická futbalová aréna
Attendance: 11,913
Referee: Nick Walsh (Scotland)
28 June 20252025 UEFA Euro England  Flag of England.svg3–2 (a.e.t.)Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Tehelné pole, Slovakia
21:00
Report
Stadium: Tehelné pole
Attendance: 19,153
Referee: Sander van der Eijk (Netherlands)
5 September 2025Friendly Albania  Flag of Albania.svg0–2Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Elbasan
18:00 Report Stadium: Elbasan Arena
Attendance: 2,234
Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti (Albania)
9 September 2025 2027 UEFA EC Q Germany  Flag of Germany.svg5–0Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia Rostock
20:30
Report Stadium: Ostseestadion
Attendance: 9,019
Referee: Łukasz Kuźma (Poland)
10 October 20252027 UEFA EC Q Germany  Flag of Germany.svgvFlag of Greece.svg  Greece Jena
Report Stadium: Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld
14 October 20252027 UEFA EC Q Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svgvFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
Report
14 November 20252027 UEFA EC Q Germany  Flag of Germany.svgvFlag of Malta.svg  Malta Fürth
Report Stadium: Sportpark Ronhof Thomas Sommer
18 November 20252027 UEFA EC Q Georgia  Flag of Georgia.svgvFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
Report
27 March 20262027 UEFA EC Q Germany  Flag of Germany.svgvUlster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
Report
31 March 20262027 UEFA EC Q Greece  Flag of Greece.svgvFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
Report

Players

Current squad

Players born in or after 2004 are eligible for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The following players were called up for the friendly match against Albania and the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match against Latvia on 5 and 9 September 2025. [2]

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

Caps and goals correct as of 9 September 2025, after the match against Latvia. [3]
No.Pos.PlayerDate of birth (age)CapsGoalsClub
11 GK Mio Backhaus (2004-04-16) 16 April 2004 (age 21)20 Flag of Germany.svg Werder Bremen
121 GK Dennis Seimen (2005-12-01) 1 December 2005 (age 19)10 Flag of Germany.svg SC Paderborn
231 GK Max Weiß (2004-06-15) 15 June 2004 (age 21)00 Flag of England.svg Burnley

22 DF Elias Baum (2005-10-26) 26 October 2005 (age 19)40 Flag of Germany.svg Eintracht Frankfurt
32 DF Lukas Ullrich (2004-03-16) 16 March 2004 (age 21)60 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Mönchengladbach
42 DF Hendry Blank (2004-08-21) 21 August 2004 (age 21)40 Flag of Germany.svg Hannover 96
52 DF Finn Jeltsch (2006-07-17) 17 July 2006 (age 19)20 Flag of Germany.svg VfB Stuttgart
132 DF Tom Rothe (2004-10-29) 29 October 2004 (age 20)40 Flag of Germany.svg Union Berlin
142 DF Linus Gechter (2004-02-27) 27 February 2004 (age 21)30 Flag of Germany.svg Hertha BSC
152 DF Joshua Quarshie (2004-07-26) 26 July 2004 (age 21)20 Flag of England.svg Southampton
212 DF Leandro Morgalla (2004-09-13) 13 September 2004 (age 20)50 Flag of Germany.svg VfL Bochum

63 MF Umut Tohumcu (2004-08-11) 11 August 2004 (age 21)40 Flag of Germany.svg TSG Hoffenheim
73 MF Brajan Gruda (2004-05-31) 31 May 2004 (age 21)193 Flag of England.svg Brighton & Hove Albion
83 MF Aljoscha Kemlein (2004-08-02) 2 August 2004 (age 21)40 Flag of Germany.svg Union Berlin
103 MF Muhammed Damar (2004-04-09) 9 April 2004 (age 21)21 Flag of Germany.svg TSG Hoffenheim
163 MF Noel Aseko (2005-11-22) 22 November 2005 (age 19)20 Flag of Germany.svg Hannover 96
173 MF Anton Kade (2004-01-17) 17 January 2004 (age 21)00 Flag of Germany.svg FC Augsburg
183 MF Aaron Zehnter (2004-10-31) 31 October 2004 (age 20)10 Flag of Germany.svg VfL Wolfsburg
223 MF Said El Mala (2006-08-26) 26 August 2006 (age 19)20 Flag of Germany.svg 1. FC Köln

94 FW Nicolò Tresoldi (2004-08-20) 20 August 2004 (age 21)189 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Brugge
114 FW Nelson Weiper (2005-03-17) 17 March 2005 (age 20)135 Flag of Germany.svg Mainz 05
194 FW Dženan Pejčinović (2005-02-15) 15 February 2005 (age 20)21 Flag of Germany.svg VfL Wolfsburg
204 FW Ilyas Ansah (2004-11-08) 8 November 2004 (age 20)21 Flag of Germany.svg Union Berlin

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.PlayerDate of birth (age)CapsGoalsClubLatest call-up
DF Nnamdi Collins (2004-01-10) 10 January 2004 (age 21)100 Flag of Germany.svg Eintracht Frankfurt 2025 Euro

MF Mert Kömür (2005-07-17) 17 July 2005 (age 20)00 Flag of Germany.svg FC Augsburg v. Flag of Albania.svg  Albania, 5 September 2024
MF Paul Wanner (2005-12-23) 23 December 2005 (age 19)81 Flag of Germany.svg 1. FC Heidenheim 2025 Euro
MF Tom Bischof (2005-06-28) 28 June 2005 (age 20)00 Flag of Germany.svg TSG Hoffenheim v. Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark, 15 November 2024

FW Youssoufa Moukoko (2004-11-20) 20 November 2004 (age 20)1513 Flag of France.svg OGC Nice v. Flag of France.svg  France, 19 November 2024
FW Keke Topp (2004-03-25) 25 March 2004 (age 21)10 Flag of Germany.svg Werder Bremen v. Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia, 10 September 2024

Past squads

Player records

Former coaches

See also

Notes

    References

    1. "Our all-time Under-21 EURO dream team". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
    2. "U 21 startet mit zehn neuen Spielern in EM-Qualifikation". dfb.de. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
    3. "U 21-Nationalteam Männer Team". dfb.de. Retrieved 4 March 2014.