Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team

The Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team is a representative team of Irish football players. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland and represents them at Under-21 level against the national teams of other national associations. The team played its first match in 1978 and has competed in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship since 1988.

Republic of Ireland Under-21

Nickname(s)	Boys in Green
Association	Football Association of Ireland (FAI)
Head coach	Jim Crawford
Captain	Joe Hodge
Most caps	Conor Coventry (28)
Top scorer	Robbie Brady (7) Kevin Doyle (7) Sinclair Armstrong (7)
First colours Second colours
First international
Rep. Ireland 1–1 Northern Ireland (Dublin; 8 March 1978)
Biggest win
San Marino 0–7 Rep. Ireland (Serravalle, San Marino; 22 March 2024)
Biggest defeat
Germany 8–0 Rep. Ireland (Baunatal, Germany; 23 March 1993)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances	Have never qualified

History

As a European under-21 team, the Republic of Ireland participates in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which takes place every two years. There is no Under-21 World Cup, although there is an Under-20 World Cup. Ireland did not enter the first five Under-21 Championships, entering for the first time in 1988 but failing to qualify. Ireland have never qualified for the European Under-21 Championships.

UEFA European Under-21 Championship record

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship record									UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Qualification record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D *	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1978	did not enter								–	–	–	–	–	–
1980									–	–	–	–	–	–
1982									–	–	–	–	–	–
1984	–	–	–	–	–	–
1986	–	–	–	–	–	–
1988	did not qualify								4	0	2	2	3	7
1990	did not enter								–	–	–	–	–	–
1992	did not qualify								6	1	0	5	5	14
1994									8	1	1	6	7	20
1996									8	2	2	4	7	9
1998									8	3	0	5	11	7
2000									8	4	2	2	13	12
2002									8	4	1	3	10	7
2004									8	2	2	4	8	11
2006									8	1	2	5	10	14
2007									2	1	0	1	2	1
2009									8	1	2	5	4	14
2011									10	1	4	5	5	11
2013									8	4	1	3	15	10
2015									8	2	2	4	10	12
2017									10	4	0	6	14	17
2019									10	4	2	4	12	15
2021									10	6	1	3	15	8
2023									12	6	3	3	17	11
2025									10	5	4	1	24	12
Total	–							144	48	31	65	184	199

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.

UEFA European Under-21 Championship

2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

Main article: 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group D

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Moldova	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	3	Final tournament		—	6 Oct '26	10 Oct	4 Sep	9 Sep	3–0
2	Kazakhstan	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	3	Play-offs		17 Nov	—	8 Sep	31 Mar '26	27 Mar '26	1–0
3	England	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			31 Mar '26	25 Sep '26	—	14 Nov	2 Oct '26	13 Oct
4	Republic of Ireland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			26 Mar '26	29 Sep '26	6 Oct '26	—	10 Oct	9 Sep
5	Slovakia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			14 Oct	13 Nov	18 Nov	25 Sep '26	—	5 Sep
6	Andorra	2	0	0	2	0	4	−4	0			2 Oct '26	9 Oct	27 Mar '26	9 Sep	6 Oct '26	—

Updated to match(es) played on 10 June 2025. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2024

San Marino  v  Republic of Ireland

22 March UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	San Marino	0–7	Republic of Ireland	Serravalle, San Marino
17:00 GMT		Report	Sinclair Armstrong 26' Andrew Moran 53' Sinclair Armstrong 57' Rocco Vata 62' Rocco Vata 64' Armstrong Oko-Flex 73' Rocco Vata 90+1'	Stadium: San Marino Stadium Attendance: 213 Referee: Viktor Kopiievskyi

Croatia  v  Republic of Ireland

7 June Friendly	Croatia	2–3	Republic of Ireland	Zagreb, Croatia
17:00 GMT	Igor Matanović 62' Matija Frigan 74' (pen.)	Report	Andrew Moran 11' Sinclair Armstrong 14' Aidomo Emakhu 52'	Stadium: Gradski Stadion Referee: Filip Dragašević

England  v  Republic of Ireland

11 June Friendly	England	2–2	Republic of Ireland	Zagreb, Croatia
15:00 GMT	Archie Brown 45+2' Dane Scarlett 47' (pen.)		Joe Hodge 4' Armstrong Oko-Flex 88'	Stadium: Gradski Stadion Referee: Ivan Vučkovič

Turkey  v  Republic of Ireland

6 September UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Turkey	0–1	Republic of Ireland	Istanbul, Turkey
17:45 GMT		Report	Sam Curtis 84'	Stadium: Esenler Stadium Attendance: 2,188 Referee: Amine Kourgheli

Republic of Ireland  v  Latvia

10 September UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Republic of Ireland	2–2	Latvia	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
17:00 GMT	Sinclair Armstrong 16' Sean Roughan 65'	Report	Kaspars Anmanis 42' Ivans Patrikejevs 63'	Stadium: Tallaght Stadium Attendance: 953 Referee: Stefan Ebner

Republic of Ireland  v  Norway

11 October UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Republic of Ireland	1–1	Norway	Cork, Republic of Ireland
19:00 GMT	Sean Roughan 75'	Report	Andreas Schjelderup 90+3'	Stadium: Turners Cross Attendance: 5,754 Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas

Italy  v  Republic of Ireland

15 October UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Italy	1–1	Republic of Ireland	Trieste, Italy
17:30 GMT	Cesare Casadei 23'	Report	Andrew Moran 66'	Stadium: Stadio Nereo Rocco Attendance: 1,730 Referee: Adam Ladebäck

Republic of Ireland  v  Sweden

14 November Friendly	Republic of Ireland	0–2	Sweden	Marbella, Spain
19:00 GMT		Report	Hampus Skoglund 48' Richie Omorowa 87'	Stadium: Marbella Football Centre

Sweden  v  Republic of Ireland

17 November Friendly	Sweden	2–3	Republic of Ireland	Marbella, Spain
14:00 GMT	Peter Amoran 34' Lukas Björklund 58'	Report	Jamie Mullins 15' Rocco Vata 46' Mark O'Mahony 50'	Stadium: Marbella Football Centre

2025

Republic of Ireland  v  Scotland

21 March Friendly	Republic of Ireland	0–2	Scotland	San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
19:00 GMT	Joe Gardner 88'	Report	Bobby Wales 5' Jude Bonnar 77'	Stadium: Pinatar Arena

Republic of Ireland  v  Hungary

24 March Friendly	Republic of Ireland	3–1	Hungary	San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
19:00 GMT	Mason Melia 16' (pen.) Conor McManus 79' Conor McManus 84'	Report	Gábor Jurek 33'	Stadium: Pinatar Arena

Croatia  v  Republic of Ireland

6 June Friendly	Croatia	1–0	Republic of Ireland	Zagreb, Croatia
16:00 GMT	Fabijan Krivak 52'	Report		Stadium: Gradski Stadion Referee: A. Culina

 Republic of Ireland v  Qatar

10 June Friendly	Republic of Ireland	0–0	Qatar	Zagreb, Croatia
17:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Gradski Stadion Referee: I. Vuckovic

Moldova  v  Republic of Ireland

4 September UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Moldova	v	Republic of Ireland	Nisporeni, Moldova
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: Nisporeni Central Stadium

Republic of Ireland  v  Andorra

9 September UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Republic of Ireland	v	Andorra	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: Tallaght Stadium

Republic of Ireland  v  Slovakia

10 October UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Republic of Ireland	v	Slovakia	Cork, Republic of Ireland
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: Turners Cross

England  v  Republic of Ireland

14 November UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	England	v	Republic of Ireland	TBC, England
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: TBC

Andorra  v  Republic of Ireland

18 November UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Andorra	v	Republic of Ireland	TBC, Andorra
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: TBC

2026

Republic of Ireland  v  Moldova

26 March UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Republic of Ireland	v	Moldova	TBC, Republic of Ireland
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: TBC

Kazakhstan  v  Republic of Ireland

31 March UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Kazakhstan	v	Republic of Ireland	TBC, Kazakhstan
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: TBC

Slovakia  v  Republic of Ireland

25 September UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Slovakia	v	Republic of Ireland	TBC, Slovakia
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: TBC

Republic of Ireland  v  Kazakhstan

29 September UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Republic of Ireland	v	Kazakhstan	TBC, Republic of Ireland
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: TBC

Republic of Ireland  v  England

6 October UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification	Republic of Ireland	v	England	TBC, Republic of Ireland
TBC GMT		Report		Stadium: TBC

Staff

The Under-21s' management team includes:^[1]

Position	Name	Appointed
Head coach	Jim Crawford	5 April 2020
Assistant coach	Paul McShane	28 August 2023
Assistant coach	Stephen Rice	29 August 2024
Goalkeeping coach	Rene Gilmartin	24 April 2020
Lead Performance Analyst	Martin Doyle	April 2020
Sports Scientist	Paul Walsh	18 March 2023
Sports Scientist	Paul Gavin	18 March 2025
Chartered Physiotherapist	Glauber Barduzzi	24 April 2019
Athletic Therapist	Kieran Murray	19 March 2022
Doctor	Dr Mortimer O'Connor	March 2021
Kitman	John Crudden	May 2023

Players

Current squad

Players born on or after 1 January 2004 are eligible for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The following players were called up for the Friendly fixtures against Croatia U21 and Qatar U23 in Zagreb, Croatia on 6 & 10 June 2025.^[2][3]

Caps and goals updated as of 10 June 2025, after the game vs Qatar.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Aaron Maguire	(2004-07-25) 25 July 2004 (age 21)	3	0	Tottenham Hotspur
16	1GK	Noah Jauny	(2004-08-26) 26 August 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Brest
24	1GK	Killian Barrett	(2004-03-15) 15 March 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Sheffield Wednesday
23	1GK	Andrew Wogan	(2005-12-01) 1 December 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Stockport County
2	2DF	Sam Curtis	(2005-12-01) 1 December 2005 (age 19)	15	1	Sheffield United
3	2DF	Alex Murphy	(2004-06-25) 25 June 2004 (age 21)	8	0	Newcastle United
5	2DF	Seán Grehan	(2004-01-08) 8 January 2004 (age 21)	8	0	Doncaster Rovers
13	2DF	Jacob Slater	(2004-10-05) 5 October 2004 (age 20)	5	0	Brighton & Hove Albion
4	2DF	David Okagbue	(2004-02-04) 4 February 2004 (age 21)	3	0	Peterborough United
17	2DF	Gabriel Otegbayo	(2005-02-11) 11 February 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Sheffield Wednesday
7	2DF	Cory O'Sullivan	(2006-05-02) 2 May 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Shamrock Rovers
10	3MF	Jamie Mullins	(2004-09-29) 29 September 2004 (age 20)	6	1	Wycombe Wanderers
11	3MF	Ed McJannet	(2004-01-25) 25 January 2004 (age 21)	6	0	Ternana
8	3MF	Adam Murphy	(2005-04-08) 8 April 2005 (age 20)	5	0	Bristol City
22	3MF	Darius Lipsiuc	(2005-09-16) 16 September 2005 (age 19)	5	0	Solihull Moors
12	3MF	Harry Vaughan	(2004-04-06) 6 April 2004 (age 21)	5	0	Hull City
19	3MF	Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh	(2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 (age 20)	4	0	Southampton
15	3MF	Jacob Deveney	(2007-06-11) 11 June 2007 (age 18)	2	0	Manchester United
18	3MF	Cathal O'Sullivan	(2007-03-05) 5 March 2007 (age 18)	2	0	Cork City
9	4FW	Mark O'Mahony	(2005-01-15) 15 January 2005 (age 20)	11	1	Reading
6	4FW	Jad Hakiki	(2004-06-23) 23 June 2004 (age 21)	5	0	Sligo Rovers
20	4FW	Joe Gardner	(2005-06-06) 6 June 2005 (age 20)	3	0	Mansfield Town
14	4FW	Cian Dillon	(2006-04-04) 4 April 2006 (age 19)	2	0	Queens Park Rangers
21	4FW	Warren Davis	(2005-04-02) 2 April 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Drogheda United

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad and remain eligible:

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Conor Walsh	(2005-03-17) 17 March 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Sligo Rovers	v.  Hungary, 24 March 2024
GK	Owen Mason	(2004-03-24) 24 March 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Mansfield Town	v.  Latvia, 13 October 2023PRE
DF	Connor O'Brien	(2004-07-12) 12 July 2004 (age 21)	7	0	Accrington Stanley	v.  Hungary, 24 March 2024
DF	Connor Barratt	(2004-04-05) 5 April 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Barnsley	v.  Hungary, 24 March 2024
DF	Conor McManus	(2004-06-16) 16 June 2004 (age 21)	1	2	Brentford	v.  Hungary, 24 March 2024
DF	James AbankwahSEN	(2004-01-16) 16 January 2004 (age 21)	9	0	Watford	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2024
MF	Jack Moorhouse	(2005-11-29) 29 November 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Leyton Orient	v.  Croatia, 6 June 2025INJ
MF	Ronan Maher	(2004-12-30) 30 December 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Walsall	v.  Hungary, 24 March 2024
MF	Rocco VataSEN	(2005-04-18) 18 April 2005 (age 20)	7	6	Watford	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2024
MF	Glory Nzingo	(2004-11-04) 4 November 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Carolina Core	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2024
FW	Mason Melia	(2007-09-22) 22 September 2007 (age 17)	1	1	St Patrick's Athletic	v.  Croatia, 6 June 2025INJ
FW	Franco Umeh	(2005-01-26) 26 January 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Crystal Palace	v.  Hungary, 24 March 2024
FW	Tommy Lonergan	(2004-01-02) 2 January 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Waterford	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2024
FW	Sean Moore	(2005-08-13) 13 August 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Shelbourne	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2024
FW	Kevin Zefi	(2005-02-11) 11 February 2005 (age 20)	1	0	AS Roma	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2024
FW	Ben Quinn	(2004-11-11) 11 November 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Mansfield Town	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2024
FW	Adrien Thibaut	(2004-07-11) 11 July 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Crewe Alexandra	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2024
INJ Withdrew from latest squad due to injury WD Withdrew from latest squad PRE Preliminary squad / standby SUS Player is suspended SEN Player called up to Senior squad

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