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	Sylvain Ripoll
Most caps	Mickaël Landreau (43)
Top scorer	Florian Maurice (15)
First colours	Second colours
First international
	U23: France 0–0 Norway ; (Alès, France; 11 November 1970); U21: France 1–1 Belgium ; (Amiens, France; 3 September 1976)
Biggest win
	France 7–0 Yugoslavia ; (Reims, France; 16 November 1985)
Biggest defeat
	England 6–0 France ; (Sheffield, England; 28 February 1984); Records for competitive; matches only.
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances	8 (first in 1982)
Best result	Winners (1988)

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 Football 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 Football Championship meaning a player can represent the national team until the age of 23.

France has won the UEFA European Under-21 Football 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 runner-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.

Results and fixtures 2019–2021

2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Qualification

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	France	10	9	1	32	10	+22	27	Final tournament	—	3–1	3–2	1–0	5–0	5–0
2	Switzerland	10	9	1	26	8	+18	27	Final tournament	3–1	—	2–1	4–1	2–1	3–0
3	Georgia	10	5	5	17	14	+3	15		0–2	0–3	—	2–1	1–0	4–0
4	Slovakia	10	4	6	22	21	+1	12		3–5	1–2	3–2	—	2–1	6–0
5	Azerbaijan	10	2	8	6	18	−12	6		1–2	0–1	0–3	2–1	—	1–0
6	Liechtenstein	10	1	9	3	35	−32	3		0–5	0–5	0–2	2–4	1–0	—

Source: UEFA

Players

Current squad

For the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, including the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, players born on or after 1 January 1998 are eligible.^[3]

The following players have been called up to participate in friendlies against Georgia U21 and Switzerland U21 on 15 and 19 November 2019.^[4]

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

Caps and goals as of 19 November 2019, after the team's match against Switzerland.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Alban Lafont	(1999-01-23) 23 January 1999 (age 25)	5	0	Nantes
1GK	Illan Meslier	(2000-03-02) 2 March 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Leeds United
1GK	Gaëtan Poussin	(1999-01-13) 13 January 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Bordeaux

2DF	Dan-Axel Zagadou	(1999-06-03) 3 June 1999 (age 24)	15	0	Borussia Dortmund
2DF	Dayot Upamecano	(1998-09-09) 9 September 1998 (age 25)	7	0	RB Leipzig
2DF	Nordi Mukiele	(1997-11-01) 1 November 1997 (age 26)	6	2	RB Leipzig
2DF	Jules Koundé	(1999-11-23) 23 November 1999 (age 24)	5	0	Sevilla
2DF	Theo Hernandez	(1997-10-06) 6 October 1997 (age 26)	3	0	Milan
2DF	Evan N'Dicka	(2000-03-12) 12 March 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Eintracht Frankfurt
2DF	Colin Dagba	(1998-09-09) 9 September 1998 (age 25)	1	0	Paris Saint-Germain

3MF	Houssem Aouar (Captain)	(1998-01-17) 17 January 1998 (age 26)	18	6	Lyon
3MF	Jonathan Ikoné	(1999-05-01) 1 May 1999 (age 25)	6	0	Lille
3MF	Christopher Nkunku	(1997-11-14) 14 November 1997 (age 26)	4	0	RB Leipzig
3MF	Boubacar Kamara	(1998-06-27) 27 June 1998 (age 25)	3	0	Marseille
3MF	Mattéo Guendouzi	(1999-07-11) 11 July 1999 (age 24)	2	0	Arsenal
3MF	Jeff Reine-Adélaïde	(1998-01-17) 17 January 1998 (age 26)	1	0	Lyon
3MF	Boubakary Soumaré	(1999-01-10) 10 January 1999 (age 25)	1	0	Lille
4FW	Eduardo Camavinga	(2002-11-10) 10 November 2002 (age 21)	1	0	Rennais
4FW	Youssouf Fofana	(1999-07-07) 7 July 1999 (age 24)	6	0	Monaco

4FW	Kylian Mbappé	(1998-12-20) 20 December 1998 (age 25)	4	1	Paris Saint-Germain
4FW	Marcus Thuram	(1998-06-17) 17 June 1998 (age 25)	4	1	Borussia Mönchengladbach
4FW	Moussa Diaby	(1999-08-07) 7 August 1999 (age 24)	4	1	Bayer Leverkusen
4FW	Odsonne Edouard	(1999-08-07) 7 August 1999 (age 24)	4	1	Celtic

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
GK	Dimitry Bertaud	(1998-06-06) 6 June 1998 (age 25)	1	0	Montpellier	v. Slovakia, 15 October 2019

DF	Nicolas Cozza	(1999-01-08) 8 January 1999 (age 25)	5	0	Montpellier	v. Switzerland, 19 November 2019 ^INJ
DF	Kelvin Amian	(1998-02-08) 8 February 1998 (age 26)	18	0	Toulouse	v. Slovakia, 15 October 2019
DF	Sofiane Alakouch	(1998-07-29) 29 July 1998 (age 25)	1	0	Nîmes	v. Slovakia, 15 October 2019
DF	Faitout Maouassa	(1998-06-06) 6 June 1998 (age 25)	1	0	Rennes	v. Slovakia, 15 October 2019
DF	Ibrahima Konaté	(1999-05-25) 25 May 1999 (age 24)	9	0	RB Leipzig	v. Czech Republic, 9 September 2019
DF	Malang Sarr	(1999-01-23) 23 January 1999 (age 25)	8	0	Nice	2019 UEFA Under-21 Football Championship
DF	Stanley Nsoki	(1999-04-09) 9 April 1999 (age 25)	1	0	Nice	v. Spain, 19 November 2018
DF	Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel	(1998-06-13) 13 June 1998 (age 25)	1	0	Mainz 05	v. Luxembourg, 9 October 2017

MF	Matteo Guendouzi	(1999-04-14) 14 April 1999 (age 25)	11	0	Arsenal	v. Georgia, 15 November 2019 ^SEN
MF	Houssem Aouar	(1998-06-30) 30 June 1998 (age 25)	16	4	Lyon	v. Slovakia, 15 October 2019
MF	Jean-Victor Makengo	(1998-06-12) 12 June 1998 (age 25)	3	0	Toulouse	v. Slovakia, 15 October 2019
MF	Antoine Bernède	(1999-05-26) 26 May 1999 (age 24)	2	0	Red Bull Salzburg	v. Czech Republic, 9 September 2019
MF	Ibrahima Diallo	(1999-03-08) 8 March 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Brest	v. Czech Republic, 9 September 2019

FW	Jonathan Ikoné	(1998-05-02) 2 May 1998 (age 26)	12	2	Lille	v. Switzerland, 19 November 2019 ^INJ
FW	Amine Gouiri	(2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 (age 24)	3	1	Lyon	v. Slovakia, 15 October 2019

Notes

Players in italics 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.
^SEN Player withdrew from the squad due to a call up to the senior team.
^SH Player sent home by team staff.

Previous squads

U-21 European Championship squads

Coaching staff

As of 2018

Position	Name	Nationality
Manager	Sylvain Ripoll	French
Assistant manager	Patrice Gonfalone	French
Assistant manager	José Alcocer	French
Goalkeeping coach	Sylvain Matrisciano	French
Doctor	François Brochet	French
Physiotherapist	Guy Puravet	French

Competitive record

For single-match results of the under-21 national team, see French football single-season articles.

UEFA U-23 Championship Record

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 Record

Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1978	Did not qualify	4	0	1	3	4	6
1980	Did not qualify	4	2	1	1	3	2
1982	Quarterfinals	6	3	1	2	9	8
1984	Quarterfinals	6	3	1	2	11	9
1986	Quarterfinals	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
Total	1 title	195	115	44	36	338	157

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.

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

Honours

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

Champions (1): 1988

Finalists (1): 2002

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

Broadcaster

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

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.
^ "2017-19 UEFA European Under-21 Championship regulations" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
^ "Dernière sélection". French Football Federation (in French). 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.

External links

[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.

[2019_regulations-3] "2017-19 UEFA European Under-21 Championship regulations" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 22 September 2017.

[4] "Dernière sélection". French Football Federation (in French). 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e France national football team
General topics	French Football Federation History Managers Kits
Results	1904–20 1921–59 1960–79 1980–99 2000–19 2020–present Unofficial matches
Venues	Parc des Princes Stade de France Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
Statistics	All-time record All-time goalscorers Hat-tricks Records
Players	Players (by caps) Captains
Goals	Olivier Giroud Thierry Henry
FIFA World Cup tournaments	Summary 1930 1934 1938 1954 1958 1966 1978 1982 1986 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
UEFA Euro tournaments	Summary 1960 1984 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
UEFA Nations League finals	Summary 2021
FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments	Summary 2001 2003
Other tournaments	Olympics Tournoi de France Mediterranean Games
Rivalries	Belgium England Germany Italy Spain
Culture	Multicultural background INF Clairefontaine USFSA
Other FFF teams	Women's U-17 U-19 France B U-16 U-17 U-18 U-19 U-20 U-21 Olympic team Futsal U-23 Beach soccer Amateur (defunct)