2021 European U21 Championship draw: England U21s face Portugal, Croatia and Switzerland in Group D
Written by News on 10/12/2020
England Under-21s have been drawn with Portugal, Croatia and Switzerland in Group D at next year’s European U21 Championship.
The 2021 tournament will be co-hosted by Hungary and Slovenia, and features 16 teams for the first time.
The Championship will consist of four groups of four teams with the group winners and runners-up all reaching the quarter-finals.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament will be split over two periods with the group stage taking place from March 24-31, while the knockout stages will be held from May 31 with the final in Ljubljana (Slovenia) on June 6.
Players are eligible for the 2021 European U21 Championship if they were born on, or after, 1 January 1998.
Holders Spain, who won the 2019 tournament after beating Germany in the final, are in Group B with co-hosts Slovenia, Czech Republic and Italy.
The tournament will be broadcast in the UK and the Republic of Ireland live on Sky Sports.
2021 European U21 Championship draw in full
Group A: Hungary, Germany, Romania, Netherlands
Group B: Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy
Group C: Russia, Iceland, France, Denmark
Group D: Portugal, Croatia, England, Switzerland
‘England places up for grabs’
England won nine of their 10 qualifiers to reach the tournament, drawing once at Andorra, while they sealed top spot in Group Three with a 2-1 victory over Turkey in October.
That match saw Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah become England U21s’ record goalscorer, suprassing Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers (both 13) before then taking his tally to 16 when scoring twice in November’s 5-0 win over Albania.
Nketiah has emerged as a key figure for the U21s, and while their squad has also featured Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Everton midfielder Tom Davies in recent outings, manager Aidy Boothroyd insisted there is plenty of time for players to convince him they are worthy of a place on the plane.
“Without a shadow of a doubt there’s still a chance for others to make the squad,” he said.
“When you’ve got players as good as we’ve got and players who are fit, on form and playing then there’s every opportunity for them.”
(c) Sky Sports 2020: 2021 European U21 Championship draw: England U21s face Portugal, Croatia and Switzerland in Group D
