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.
 | |||
| 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 | Odsonne Édouard (17) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 France 7–1 England  (Le Havre, France; 22 May 1952) | |||
| 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 | 9 (first in 1982) | ||
| Best result | Winners (1988) | ||
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.
HistoryEdit
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.
Team imageEdit
Media coverageEdit
France's under-21 football friendlies and qualifying matches are broadcast by Direct 8.
Results and fixturesEdit
- Legend
Win Draw Lose Fixture
2021Edit
| 31 May 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship QF | Netherlands  | 2–1 | France | Budapest, Hungary |
| 18:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Bozsik Aréna Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy) |
| 2 September 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | France | 3–0 |  North Macedonia | Le Mans, France |
| 18:30 | Report | Stadium: MMArena Referee: Juri Frischer (Estonia) |
| 6 September 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | Faroe Islands  | 1–1 | France | Tórshavn, Faroe Islands |
| 18:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Gundadalur Referee: Volen Chinkov (Belarus) |
| 8 October 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | France | 5–0 |  Ukraine | Brest, France |
|
Report | Stadium: Stade Francis-Le Blé Referee: Nick Walsh (Scotland) |
| 12 October 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | Serbia  | 0–3 | France | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Report | Stadium: Partizan Stadium Referee: Nicolas Laforge (Belgium) |
| 11 November 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | France | 7–0 |  Armenia | Grenoble, France |
|
Report | Stadium: Stade des Alpes Referee: Andrei Chivulete (Romania) |
| 16 November 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | North Macedonia | 0–1 | France | Skopje, North Macedonia |
| Report |
|
Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena Referee: Arda Kardeşler (Turkey) |
2022Edit
| 24 March 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | France | 2–0 | Faroe Islands | Calais, France |
|
Report | Stadium: Stade de l'Épopée Referee: Luka Bilbija (Bosnia) |
| 28 March Friendly | France | 5–0 |  Northern Ireland | Calais, France |
|
Report | Stadium: Stade de l'Épopée Referee: Robert Jones (England) |
| 2 June 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | France | 2–0 | Serbia | Grenoble, France |
| 20:45 | Report | Stadium: Stade des Alpes Referee: Donald Robertson (Scotland) |
| 6 June 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | Armenia | 1–4 | France | Yerevan, Armenia |
| 20:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: Yerevan Football Academy Stadium Referee: Joni Hyytiä (Finland) |
| 9 June 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H | Ukraine | 3–3 | France | Istanbul, Turkey |
|
Report | Stadium: Esenyurt Necmi Kadıoğlu Stadium Referee: Vassilis Fotias (Greece) | ||
| Note: The match was originally scheduled to be played on 29 March 2022 at Arena Lviv, Lviv but due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine was unable to host the match. | ||||
| 23 September Friendly | Germany  | 0–1 | France | Magdeburg, Germany |
| Report |
|
Stadium: MDCC-Arena Referee: Krzysztof Jakubik (Poland) |
| 26 September Friendly | France | 2–2 |  Belgium | Valenciennes, France |
| Report |
|
Stadium: Stade du Hainaut Attendance: 9,768 Referee: Alessandro Dudic (Switzerland) |
| 19 November Friendly | France | 1–1 |  Norway | Caen, France |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Stade Michel d'Ornano |
2023Edit
| 25 March Friendly | England | 4–0 | France | Leicester, England |
|
Report | Stadium: King Power Stadium |
Coaching staffEdit
Current coaching staffEdit
- As of 22 April 2021
| 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
|
PlayersEdit
Current squadEdit
For the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons, including the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, players born on or after 1 January 2000 are eligible.
The following 23 players were called up for friendly matches against England and Spain on 25 and 28 March 2023, respectively.[3]
Note: Names in italics denote players that have been capped by the senior team.
Caps and goals as of 28 March 2023, after the team's match against 
Spain.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Illan Meslier | 2 March 2000 | 12 | 0 | Leeds United
| |
| GK | Lucas Chevalier | 6 November 2001 | 2 | 0 | Lille
| |
| GK | Stefan Bajic | 23 December 2001 | 1 | 0 | Bristol City
| |
| DF | Benoît Badiashile (vice-captain) | 26 March 2001 | 19 | 0 | Chelsea
| |
| DF | Castello Lukeba | 17 December 2002 | 7 | 0 | Lyon
| |
| DF | Yasser Larouci | 1 January 2001 | 4 | 1 | Troyes
| |
| DF | Niels Nkounkou | 1 November 2000 | 2 | 0 | Saint-Étienne
| |
| DF | Valentin Gendrey | 21 June 2000 | 2 | 0 |  Lecce
| |
| DF | Ismaël Doukouré | 24 July 2003 | 1 | 0 | Strasbourg
| |
| DF | Yoan Koré | 16 November 2004 | 0 | 0 | Paris FC
| |
| MF | Enzo Le Fée | 3 February 2000 | 11 | 3 | Lorient
| |
| MF | Kouadio Koné | 17 May 2001 | 7 | 0 | Borussia Mönchengladbach
| |
| MF | Michael Olise | 12 December 2001 | 4 | 0 | Crystal Palace
| |
| MF | Han-Noah Massengo | 7 July 2001 | 2 | 0 | Auxerre
| |
| MF | Johann Lepenant | 22 October 2002 | 1 | 0 | Lyon
| |
| FW | Amine Gouiri | 16 February 2000 | 26 | 11 | Rennes
| |
| FW | Arnaud Kalimuendo | 20 January 2002 | 17 | 4 | Rennes
| |
| FW | Rayan Cherki | 17 August 2003 | 9 | 4 | Lyon
| |
| FW | Amine Adli | 10 May 2000 | 8 | 3 | Bayer Leverkusen
| |
| FW | Matthis Abline | 28 March 2003 | 4 | 1 | Rennes
| |
| FW | Bradley Barcola | 2 September 2002 | 2 | 0 | Lyon
| |
| FW | Andy Diouf | 17 May 2003 | 1 | 0 |  Basel
| |
Recent call-upsEdit
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 | Thimothée Lo-Tutala | 13 February 2003 | 0 | 0 | Hull City
|
v. Norway, 19 November 2022
|
| GK | Guillaume Dietsch | 17 April 2001 | 1 | 0 | Seraing
|
v. Belgium, 26 September 2022
|
| GK | Yahia Fofana | 21 August 2000 | 1 | 0 | Angers
|
v. Belgium, 26 September 2022
|
| DF | Pierre Kalulu | 5 June 2000 | 15 | 2 | Milan
|
v. Spain, 28 March 2023 INJ |
| DF | Mohamed Simakan | 3 May 2000 | 2 | 0 | RB Leipzig
|
v. Spain, 28 March 2023 INJ |
| DF | Warmed Omari | 23 April 2000 | 2 | 0 | Rennes
|
v. Spain, 28 March 2023 INJ |
| DF | Adrien Truffert | 20 January 2001 | 15 | 0 | Rennes
|
v. England, 25 March 2023 INJ |
| DF | Melvin Bard | 6 November 2000 | 3 | 0 | Nice
|
v. England, 25 March 2023 INJ |
| DF | Quentin Merlin | 16 May 2002 | 5 | 0 | Nantes
|
v. Norway, 19 November 2022
|
| DF | Malo Gusto | 19 May 2003 | 7 | 1 | Lyon
|
v. Norway, 19 November 2022
|
| DF | Wesley Fofana | 17 December 2000 | 7 | 0 | Chelsea
|
v. Belgium, 26 September 2022
|
| DF | Tanguy Nianzou | 7 June 2002 | 1 | 1 | Sevilla
|
v. Belgium, 26 September 2022
|
| DF | Bafodé Diakité | 6 January 2001 | 1 | 0 | Lille
|
v. Belgium, 26 September 2022
|
| DF | William Saliba (captain) | 24 March 2001 | 5 | 0 | Arsenal
|
v. Faroe Islands, 24 March 2022 SEN |
| DF | Loïc Badé | 11 April 2000 | 3 | 0 | Nottingham Forest
|
v. North Macedonia, 16 November 2021
|
| DF | Andy Pelmard | 12 March 2000 | 2 | 0 | Basel
|
v. Faroe Islands, 6 September 2021
|
| DF | Rayan Aït-Nouri | 6 June 2001 | 5 | 0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers
|
v.  Liechtenstein, 12 November 2020 INJ |
| MF | Maxence Caqueret | 15 February 2000 | 19 | 2 | Lyon
|
v. England, 25 March 2023 INJ |
| MF | Joris Chotard | 24 September 2001 | 6 | 0 | Montpellier
|
v. England, 25 March 2023 INJ |
| MF | Khéphren Thuram | 26 March 2001 | 14 | 2 | Nice
|
v. Norway, 19 November 2022
|
| MF | Sofiane Diop | 9 June 2000 | 13 | 4 | Nice
|
v. Belgium, 26 September 2022
|
| MF | Eduardo Camavinga | 10 November 2002 | 13 | 2 | Real Madrid
|
v. Ukraine, 9 June 2022
|
| MF | Alexis Beka Beka | 29 March 2001 | 0 | 0 | Nice
|
v. Serbia, 12 October 2021
|
| MF | Aurélien Tchouaméni | 27 January 2000 | 4 | 0 | Real Madrid
|
v. Liechtenstein, 12 November 2020 INJ |
| FW | Elye Wahi | 2 January 2003 | 3 | 1 | Montpellier
|
v. Norway, 19 November 2022
|
| FW | Nathan Ngoumou | 14 March 2000 | 9 | 0 | Borussia Mönchengladbach
|
v. Belgium, 26 September 2022
|
| FW | Georginio Rutter | 20 April 2002 | 4 | 0 | Leeds United
|
v. Belgium, 26 September 2022
|
| FW | Mohamed-Ali Cho | 19 January 2004 | 7 | 0 | Real Sociedad
|
v. Germany, 23 September 2022 INJ |
| FW | Hugo Ekitike | 20 June 2002 | 0 | 0 | Paris Saint-Germain
|
v. North Macedonia, 16 November 2021
|
| FW | Janis Antiste | 18 August 2002 | 1 | 0 | Sassuolo
|
v. Serbia, 12 October 2021
|
| FW | Nathanaël Mbuku | 16 March 2002 | 2 | 1 | Reims
|
v. Faroe Islands, 6 September 2021
|
| FW | Sékou Mara | 30 July 2002 | 2 | 0 | Southampton
|
v. Faroe Islands, 6 September 2021
|
| FW | Isaac Lihadji | 10 April 2002 | 2 | 1 | Lille
|
v. Switzerland, 16 November 2020
|
| FW | Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe | 21 November 2000 | 1 | 0 | Eintracht Frankfurt
|
v.  Azerbaijan, 7 September 2020
|
- Notes
- Players in italics have played at senior level.
- COV Withdrew due to COVID-19
- 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 squadsEdit
HonoursEdit
- 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
Competitive recordEdit
UEFA U-23 ChampionshipEdit
- 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 ChampionshipEdit
| Year | Result | Pld | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 1980 | 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 | 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 |
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 |
  2021 |
Quarterfinals | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 13 |
| Total | 1 title | 209 | 126 | 44 | 39 | 375 | 170 |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
- **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.
2021 UEFA European Under-21 ChampionshipEdit
QualificationEdit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France
|
10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 10 | +22 | 27 | Final tournament | — | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Switzerland
|
10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 8 | +18 | 27 | 3–1 | — | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Georgia
|
10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 15 | 0–2 | 0–3 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 4 | Slovakia
|
10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 12 | 3–5 | 1–2 | 3–2 | — | 2–1 | 6–0 | ||
| 5 | Azerbaijan
|
10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 18 | −12 | 6 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 6 | Liechtenstein
|
10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 35 | −32 | 3 | 0–5 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | — |
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Fédération Française de Football" (in French).
External linksEdit
