Scotland_national_under-21_football_team

Scotland national under-21 football team

Scotland national under-21 football team

National under-20 association football team representing Scotland

The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team.

Quick Facts Association, Head coach ...

As a European under-21 team, Scotland compete in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which is usually held every other year. The team has qualified for the final stages of these Championships on six occasions, although not since 1996. There is no global tournament for under-21 national teams. Performance in the European Championship determines qualification for football at the Summer Olympics, which Scotland is unable to compete in.

History

Scotland played under-23 international matches, mainly friendlies against England and Wales, from 1955 until 1975.[4] Scotland first entered the UEFA competition for under-23 national teams in 1975–76. Scotland reached the quarter-finals, but were eliminated on a penalty shootout by the Netherlands. An under-21 team then came into existence, replacing the under-23 team, when UEFA reduced the age limit.[5]

Scotland under-21s have reached the last four of the European tournament three times (1982, 1992 and 1996), while appearing in the quarter-finals on three other occasions (1980, 1984 and 1988). The team qualified for the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics, but were unable to compete due to Scotland not being independently represented in the International Olympic Committee.[6] The under-21 team has not qualified for a finals tournament since the late 1990s. They reached the playoff round for the 2004 and 2011 tournaments, but lost to Croatia[7] and Iceland[8] respectively.

In 2018, an under-21 squad returned to the Toulon Tournament.[9] Despite the loss to Turkey in a penalty-out for third-place.[10] Scotland did receive the tournament Fair Play Award.[11]

Competitive record

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

UEFA European U-21 Championship Record

More information Year, Result ...

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided by a penalty shootout.

Other tournaments

More information Year, Competition ...

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided by a penalty shootout.

Head coaches

Billy Stark, head coach of the team from 2008 to 2014.

Archie Knox left his post as Scotland's National Youth Teams Coach on 30 August 2007 to take up a full-time with Bolton Wanderers as coaching co-ordinator, Maurice Malpas took temporary charge. In January 2008 the SFA appointed a new full-time coach in Billy Stark, who left his job as manager of Second Division side Queen's Park to take the position.[23] Stark resigned from the position in November 2014.[24]

More information Tenure, Head Coach/Manager ...

Players

Leading appearances

As of match played 5 June 2022[33]
More information Rank, Name ...

Note: Club(s) represents the clubs the player was with while he played for the Scotland under-21 team. Those players in bold are eligible to play for the team now.

Leading goalscorers

As of match played 5 June 2022[33]
More information Rank, Name ...

Note: Club(s) represents the clubs the player was with while he played for the Scotland under-21 team. Those players in bold are eligible to play for the team now.

Eligibility

The team is for players born in the year 21 years before the starting year of each tournament. As each tournament normally takes two years to complete, players can continue to play for the under-21 team after their 22nd birthday. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the under-21s, senior side and then return to the under-21 side.[citation needed] It is now also possible to play for one country at youth level and another country at senior level (providing the player is eligible).[5] For instance, Nigel Quashie played for England under-21s and Scotland.[5] Until the late 1980s, teams were allowed to select some over-age players in the under-21 team,[34][35][36] similar to the present arrangement in football at the Summer Olympics.[37]

Current squad

Players born on or after 1 January 2002 are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The following players were selected for 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Kazakhstan in March 2024.[38][39]

Caps and goals updated as of 21 March 2024, after the match against Kazakhstan. Clubs correct as of 2 March 2024.

More information No., Pos. ...

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Scotland under-21 squad and remain eligible (current clubs shown).

More information Pos., Player ...

Past squads

Notes

  1. Under-23 competition.

    References

    1. [1]
      "Scotland U21: Coach Ricky Sbragia makes way for Scot Gemmill". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
    2. [2]
      "Alltime Club Records". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    3. [3]
      "San Marino U21s 0-7 Scotland U21s: Hornby sets scoring record in Euro qualifying thrashing". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
    4. [4]
      "Results List". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    5. [5]
      Abrahall, Csaba (January 2007). "Age of ascent". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    6. [6]
      Gibbons, Glenn (5 February 2009). "Craig Brown battles to preserve Scottish football rights by opposing Team GB". The Scotsman. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
    7. [7]
      "Bonhof hails defeated Scots". BBC Sport. 18 November 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    8. [8]
      "Coach Billy Stark proud of Scotland U21s development". BBC Sport. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    9. [9]
      "Scotland Under-21 squad announced for Toulon tournament". Scottish FA. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
    10. [10]
      "Scotland finish fourth at the Toulon tournament after shoot-out defeat to Turkey". Scottish Football Association. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
    11. [11]
      "Individual and team awards seal successful Toulon trip". Scottish FA. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
    12. [12]
      "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1977". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    13. [13]
      "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1991". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    14. [14]
      "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1992". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    15. [15]
      "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1993". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    16. [16]
      "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1994". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    17. [17]
      "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1995". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    18. [18]
      "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1997". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    19. [19]
      "STRONG FEELINGS". Aberdeen Evening Express. 5 June 1999. Retrieved 1 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    20. [20]
      "U-21 Three Nations Tournament (Northern Ireland) 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    21. [21]
      "Goalscorer Notman will demand transfer to find greater glory". Herald Scotland. 30 May 2000. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
      "All eyes are on Miller who proves different class against the Welsh". Herald Scotland. 1 June 2000. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    22. [22]
      "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 2018". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    23. [23]
      "Billy Stark". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
    24. [24]
      "Scotland: Billy Stark 'steps down' as under-21 coach". BBC Sport. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
    25. [25]
      "Football: Smith protects his youngsters". The Independent. 14 October 1998. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
    26. [26]
      "Bonhof for Scotland job". BBC Sport. 10 July 2002. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
    27. [27]
      "Bonhof chose to leave Scots U-21s". BBC Sport. 26 November 2005. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
    28. [28]
      "Malpas is the new Motherwell boss". BBC Sport. 17 May 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
    29. [29]
      "Knox lands Scotland under-21 role". BBC Sport. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
    30. [30]
      "Malpas considering career change". BBC Sport. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
    31. [31]
      "Danny Lennon in temporary charge of Scotland under-21s". BBC Sport. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
    32. [32]
      "Ricky Sbragia is new Scotland Under-21 head coach". BBC Sport. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
    33. [33]
      "Alltime Player Records". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
    34. [34]
      Paul, Ian (20 January 1984). "Scotland to warm up against France". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    35. [35]
      Reynolds, Jim (6 February 1980). "Archibald is only over-age player in Stein's squad". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    36. [36]
      Traynor, Jim (7 March 1989). "Young ones take on French mantle". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    37. [37]
      "UEFA defends decision to keep over-age stars out of Olympics". The Argus Press. 3 February 1996. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
    38. [38]
      "Scotland Men's Under-21s name strong squad for Kazakhstan qualifier". scottishfa.co.uk. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
    39. [39]
      @ScotlandNT (19 March 2024). "#SCO21s Squad Update. IN: Cole McKinnon. OUT: Kai Fotheringham, Josh Mulligan and Ben McPherson. #YoungTeam" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 March 2024 – via Twitter.
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