Spain_national_under-21_football_team

Spain national under-21 football team

Spain national under-21 football team

Football team of Spain


The Spain national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita (The Little Red),[1] competes in the biennial UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Quick Facts Nickname(s), Association ...
The 2011 winning team

Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the Spain under-21 team was formed. Spain has a strong record (competition winners five times and runners-up twice); having consecutively won the 2011 and 2013 Championships. They hold the joint record with Italy for the most wins of the competition.

Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, Spain's brief record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown, though in actuality, Spain played only three competitive U-23 matches. The first was in the "under-23 Challenge", which they lost, while the next two were in a two-team qualification "group" for the 1972 competition (facing the Soviet Union team, they lost 2–1 at home then drew 1–1 away and failed to qualify. Spain did not enter a team in the other two U-23 competitions, but have been ever present in under-21 competitions).

Spain's youth development programs has been challenging the South American dominance in the FIFA U-17 World Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In fact, 20 of the Spanish 23-man squad that won the Euro 2008 came through the ranks of the youth teams; most of them had won titles at the youth level as well.

Competitive record

UEFA European Under-21 Championship record

More information Year, Round ...

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

  • Gold background color indicates first-place finish. Silver background color indicates second-place finish. Bronze background color indicates third-place finish.
  • Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Individual awards

Spanish players have won individual awards at UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.

Player records

Top appearances

More information Rank, Player ...

Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.

Top goalscorers

More information Rank, Player ...

Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.

  • Caps and goals correct as of 21 June 2025.

Recent results

More information Date, Competition ...

Forthcoming fixtures

More information Date, Competition ...

2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Group phase

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: Scotland 4, Hungary 1.

Players

Current squad

The following players were named in the squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, to be played June 2025.

Caps and goals as of 21 June 2025, after the match against England.

More information No., Pos. ...

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last twelve months are still eligible for selection.

More information Pos., Player ...

Honours

Titles

Former squads

See also

Notes


    References

    1. "La sub 21 regresa al lugar donde nació el 'tiqui-taca'" [The under-21 team returns to the birthplace of tiki-taka] (in Spanish). Marca. 9 June 2011.

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