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Scotland under-21

Association	Scottish Football Association
Head coach	Scot Gemmill
Most caps	Christian Dailly (35)
Top scorer	Fraser Hornby (10)
First colours Second colours
First international
Czechoslovakia 0 – 0 Scotland 12 October 1976
Biggest win
San Marino 0 – 7 Scotland 13 October 2020
Biggest defeat
England 6 – 0 Scotland 13 August 2013
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances	6 (first in 1980)
Best result	Semi-finalists (1982, 1992, 1996)

The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team.

As a European under-21 team, Scotland compete in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which is usually held every other year. The team has qualified for the final stages of these Championships on six occasions, although not since 1996. There is no global tournament for under-21 national teams. Performance in the European Championship determines qualification for football at the Summer Olympics, which Scotland is unable to compete in.

History

Scotland played under-23 international matches, mainly friendlies against England and Wales, from 1955 until 1975. Scotland first entered the UEFA competition for under-23 national teams in 1975–76. Scotland reached the quarter-finals, but were eliminated on a penalty shootout by the Netherlands. An under-21 team then came into existence, replacing the under-23 team, when UEFA reduced the age limit.

Scotland under-21s have reached the last four of the European tournament three times (1982, 1992 and 1996), while appearing in the quarter-finals on three other occasions (1980, 1984 and 1988). The team qualified for the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics, but were unable to compete due to Scotland not being independently represented in the International Olympic Committee. The under-21 team has not qualified for a finals tournament since the late 1990s. They reached the playoff round for the 2004 and 2011 tournaments, but lost to Croatia and Iceland respectively.

In 2018, an under-21 squad returned to the Toulon Tournament. Despite the loss to Turkey in a penalty-out for third-place. Scotland did receive the tournament Fair Play Award.

Competitive record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  0000 Tournament held on home soil  

UEFA European U-21 Championship Record

Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1976	Quarter-finals	6	5	0	1	13	4
1978	did not qualify	4	2	1	1	5	4
1980	Quarter-finals	7	3	3	1	14	7
1982	Semi-finals	8	3	3	2	9	6
1984	Quarter-finals	8	5	2	1	14	10
1986	did not qualify	4	1	1	2	1	4
1988	Quarter-finals	6	3	1	2	7	4
1990	did not qualify	6	1	1	4	7	13
1992	Semi-finals	10	6	2	2	18	10
1994	did not qualify	8	2	2	4	8	11
1996	Fourth-place	12	8	0	4	21	10
1998	did not qualify	10	2	1	7	10	20
2000		10	4	2	4	18	12
2002		6	2	2	2	6	6
2004		8	5	1	2	11	8
2006		10	1	3	6	6	17
2007		2	0	0	2	1	4
2009		8	5	1	2	17	6
2011		10	5	2	3	18	11
2013		8	3	4	1	16	9
2015		8	3	2	3	12	15
2017		10	2	2	6	8	17
2019		10	4	2	4	13	13
2021		10	5	3	2	16	5
2023		8	1	4	3	6	10

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided by a penalty shootout.

Other tournaments

Year	Competition	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	Ref
1977	Toulon Tournament	6th place	4	1	1	2	6	7
1991	Toulon Tournament	Group Stage	3	2	1	0	5	3
1992	Toulon Tournament	Group Stage	3	0	0	3	0	7
1993	Toulon Tournament	Semi-finals	4	2	0	2	3	2
1994	Toulon Tournament	Group Stage	3	1	1	1	3	3
1995	Toulon Tournament	Semi-finals	4	2	0	2	4	7
1997	Toulon Tournament	Group Stage	4	0	3	1	2	4
1999	Three Nations Tournament	1st place	2	1	1	0	2	1
2000	Three Nations Tournament	1st place	2	1	1	0	2	1
2018	Toulon Tournament	4th place	5	2	2	1	5	5

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided by a penalty shootout.

Head coaches

Archie Knox left his post as Scotland's National Youth Teams Coach on 30 August 2007 to take up a full-time with Bolton Wanderers as coaching co-ordinator, Maurice Malpas took temporary charge. In January 2008 the SFA appointed a new full-time coach in Billy Stark, who left his job as manager of Second Division side Queen's Park to take the position. Stark resigned from the position in November 2014.

Players

Leading appearances

As of match played 5 June 2022

Note: Club(s) represents the clubs the player was with while he played for the Scotland under-21 team. Those players in bold are eligible to play for the team now.

Leading goalscorers

As of match played 5 June 2022

Note: Club(s) represents the clubs the player was with while he played for the Scotland under-21 team. Those players in bold are eligible to play for the team now.

Eligibility

The team is for players born in the year 21 years before the starting year of each tournament. As each tournament normally takes two years to complete, players can continue to play for the under-21 team after their 22nd birthday. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the under-21s, senior side and then return to the under-21 side. It is now also possible to play for one country at youth level and another country at senior level (providing the player is eligible). For instance, Nigel Quashie played for England under-21s and Scotland. Until the late 1980s, teams were allowed to select some over-age players in the under-21 team, similar to the present arrangement in football at the Summer Olympics.

Current squad

Players born on or after 1 January 2002 are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The following players were selected for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Belgium and Kazakhstan in October 2024.

Caps and goals updated as of 11 October 2024, after the match against Kazakhstan. Clubs correct as of 15 October 2024.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Lewis Budinauckas	(2002-06-19) 19 June 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Rangers
12	1GK	Jack Newman	(2002-02-12) 12 February 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Inverness Caledonian Thistle
21	1GK	Murray Johnson	(2004-11-13) 13 November 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Airdrieonians
2	2DF	Max Johnston	(2003-12-26) 26 December 2003 (age 20)	10	1	Sturm Graz
3	2DF	Josh Doig	(2002-05-18) 18 May 2002 (age 22)	12	1	Sassuolo
4	2DF	Jack Milne	(2003-02-10) 10 February 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Aberdeen
5	2DF	Dane Murray	(2003-06-26) 26 June 2003 (age 21)	4	1	Queen's Park
6	2DF	Lewis Neilson	(2003-05-15) 15 May 2003 (age 21)	12	1	St Johnstone
15	2DF	Robbie Fraser	(2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 21)	2	0	Rangers
20	2DF	Jeremiah Mullen	(2004-06-17) 17 June 2004 (age 20)	13	2	Leeds United
22	2DF	Calvin Ramsay	(2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 21)	6	0	Wigan Athletic
23	2DF	Ewan Wilson	(2004-11-19) 19 November 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Motherwell
7	3MF	Lennon Miller	(2006-08-25) 25 August 2006 (age 18)	5	2	Motherwell
8	3MF	Josh Mulligan	(2002-11-12) 12 November 2002 (age 22)	16	2	Dundee
14	3MF	Rob Apter	(2003-04-23) 23 April 2003 (age 21)	4	0	Blackpool
16	3MF	Daniel Kelly	(2005-10-03) 3 October 2005 (age 19)	4	0	Millwall
17	3MF	Lyall Cameron	(2002-10-10) 10 October 2002 (age 22)	12	2	Dundee
18	3MF	Miller Thomson	(2004-07-20) 20 July 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Dundee United
9	4FW	Ryan Oné	(2006-06-26) 26 June 2006 (age 18)	2	0	Sheffield United
11	4FW	Dire Mebude	(2004-05-28) 28 May 2004 (age 20)	13	2	Westerlo

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Scotland under-21 squad and remain eligible (current clubs shown).

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Cieran Slicker	(2002-09-15) 15 September 2002 (age 22)	18	0	Ipswich Town	v.  Malta, September 2024
GK	Vincent Angelini	(2003-09-12) 12 September 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Al-Riyadh	v.  Austria, June 2024
GK	Jude Smith	(2003-05-29) 29 May 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Carlisle United	v.  Belgium, November 2023
GK	Jay Hogarth	(2003-07-18) 18 July 2003 (age 21)	2	0	Queen of the South	v.  Norway, June 2023
GK	Sam Long	(2002-11-12) 12 November 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Bromley	v.  Iceland, November 2022
GK	Harry Stone	(2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Ayr United	v.  Turkey, September 2021
DF	Leon King	(2004-01-14) 14 January 2004 (age 20)	12	0	Rangers	v.  Belgium, October 2024
DF	Matthew Anderson	(2004-01-25) 25 January 2004 (age 20)	5	0	Admira Wacker	v.  Belgium, October 2024
DF	Liam Morrison	(2003-04-07) 7 April 2003 (age 21)	11	0	Queens Park Rangers	v.  Spain, September 2024
DF	Adam Devine	(2003-03-25) 25 March 2003 (age 21)	9	0	Rangers	v.  Austria, June 2024
DF	Connor McAvoy	(2002-02-16) 16 February 2002 (age 22)	5	0	Ayr United	v.  Austria, June 2024
DF	Ibane Bowat	(2002-09-15) 15 September 2002 (age 22)	7	0	Portsmouth	v.  Kazakhstan, March 2024
DF	Ben McPherson	(2004-03-19) 19 March 2004 (age 20)	5	0	Celtic	v.  Kazakhstan, March 2024
DF	Kerr Smith	(2004-12-12) 12 December 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Aston Villa	v.  Malta, October 2023
DF	Josh Reid	(2002-05-03) 3 May 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Ross County	v.  Norway, June 2023
DF	Adam Montgomery	(2002-02-18) 18 February 2002 (age 22)	4	0	Celtic	v.  Northern Ireland, September 2022
DF	Aaron Hickey	(2002-06-10) 10 June 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Brentford	v.  Kazakhstan, November 2021
DF	Jamie Hamilton	(2002-03-01) 1 March 2002 (age 22)	0	0	East Kilbride	v.  Turkey, September 2021
MF	Connor Barron	(2002-08-29) 29 August 2002 (age 22)	14	0	Rangers	v.  Belgium, October 2024
MF	Lewis Fiorini	(2002-05-17) 17 May 2002 (age 22)	13	3	Stockport County	v.  Belgium, October 2024
MF	David Watson	(2005-02-12) 12 February 2005 (age 19)	4	0	Kilmarnock	v.  Belgium, October 2024
MF	Azeem Abdulai	(2002-12-09) 9 December 2002 (age 22)	6	0	Swansea City	v.  Austria, June 2024
MF	Kai Fotheringham	(2003-04-18) 18 April 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Dundee United	v.  Austria, June 2024
MF	Aidan Denholm	(2003-11-09) 9 November 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Ross County	v.  Kazakhstan, March 2024
MF	Cole McKinnon	(2003-01-29) 29 January 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Rangers	v.  Kazakhstan, March 2024
MF	Alex Lowry	(2003-06-23) 23 June 2003 (age 21)	2	1	Rangers	v.  Hungary, November 2023
MF	Finlay Robertson	(2002-11-12) 12 November 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Dundee	v.  Hungary, November 2023
MF	Ryan Duncan	(2004-01-18) 18 January 2004 (age 20)	5	0	Queen's Park	v.  Hungary, November 2023
MF	Steven Bradley	(2002-03-17) 17 March 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Hamilton Academical	v.  Malta, October 2023
MF	Ben Summers	(2004-06-16) 16 June 2004 (age 20)	5	0	Admira Wacker	v.  Spain, September 2023
MF	Archie Meekison	(2002-05-04) 4 May 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Bohemian	v.  Spain, September 2023
MF	Connor Smith	(2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 (age 22)	8	0	Hamilton Academical	v.  Norway, June 2023
MF	Liam Smith	(2003-10-28) 28 October 2003 (age 21)	2	0	Partick Thistle	v.  Norway, June 2023
MF	Josh Adam	(2004-02-03) 3 February 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Wrexham	v.  Wales, March 2023
MF	Elliot Anderson	(2002-11-06) 6 November 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Nottingham Forest	v.  Iceland, November 2022
MF	Matthew Craig	(2003-04-16) 16 April 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Barnsley	v.  Northern Ireland, September 2022
MF	Michael Craig	(2003-04-16) 16 April 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Reading	v.  Northern Ireland, September 2022
MF	Lucas De Bolle	(2002-10-22) 22 October 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Unattached	v.  Northern Ireland, September 2022
MF	Jay Henderson	(2002-03-07) 7 March 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Ayr United	v.  Northern Ireland, September 2022
MF	Chris Mochrie	(2003-04-07) 7 April 2003 (age 21)	2	0	Airdrieonians	v.  Northern Ireland, September 2022
MF	Flynn Clarke	(2002-12-19) 19 December 2002 (age 22)	1	1	Lowestoft Town	v.  Northern Ireland, September 2022
FW	Bobby Wales	(2005-06-23) 23 June 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Kilmarnock	v.  Belgium, October 2024
FW	Kieron Bowie	(2002-09-21) 21 September 2002 (age 22)	12	4	Hibernian	v.  Malta, September 2024
FW	Michael Mellon	(2003-12-05) 5 December 2003 (age 21)	4	0	Stockport County	v.  Austria, June 2024
FW	Tommy Conway	(2002-08-06) 6 August 2002 (age 22)	7	3	Middlesbrough	v.  Austria, June 2024
FW	Ben Doak	(2005-11-11) 11 November 2005 (age 19)	7	2	Liverpool	v.  Hungary, November 2023
FW	Robbie Ure	(2004-02-24) 24 February 2004 (age 20)	0	0	RSCA Futures	v.  Hungary, November 2023
FW	Emilio Lawrence	(2005-09-20) 20 September 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Manchester City	v.  Belgium, November 2023
FW	Rory Wilson	(2006-01-05) 5 January 2006 (age 18)	3	0	Aston Villa	v.  Malta, October 2023
FW	Tom Dickson-Peters	(2002-09-16) 16 September 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Unattached	v.  Wales, March 2023
FW	Stuart McKinstry	(2002-09-18) 18 September 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Unattached	v.  Iceland, November 2022
FW	Kai Kennedy	(2002-03-28) 28 March 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Queen of the South	v.  Belgium, November 2021
Player withdrew from the squad for that game due to injury Player withdrew from the squad for that game after being promoted to the senior squad Player withdrew from the squad for that game for an unspecified reason

Past squads

• 1996 European Championship squad

Notes

1. Under-23 competition.

References

1. ^ "Scotland U21: Coach Ricky Sbragia makes way for Scot Gemmill". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
2. "Alltime Club Records". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
3. ^ "San Marino U21s 0-7 Scotland U21s: Hornby sets scoring record in Euro qualifying thrashing". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
4. "Results List". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
5. ^ Abrahall, Csaba (January 2007). "Age of ascent". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
6. Gibbons, Glenn (5 February 2009). "Craig Brown battles to preserve Scottish football rights by opposing Team GB". The Scotsman. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
7. "Bonhof hails defeated Scots". BBC Sport. 18 November 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
8. "Coach Billy Stark proud of Scotland U21s development". BBC Sport. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
9. "Scotland Under-21 squad announced for Toulon tournament". Scottish FA. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
10. "Scotland finish fourth at the Toulon tournament after shoot-out defeat to Turkey". Scottish Football Association. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
11. "Individual and team awards seal successful Toulon trip". Scottish FA. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
12. "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1977". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
13. "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1991". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
14. "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1992". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
15. "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1993". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
16. "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1994". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
17. "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1995". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
18. "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 1997". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
19. "STRONG FEELINGS". Aberdeen Evening Express. 5 June 1999. Retrieved 1 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
20. "U-21 Three Nations Tournament (Northern Ireland) 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
21. "Goalscorer Notman will demand transfer to find greater glory". Herald Scotland. 30 May 2000. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
    "All eyes are on Miller who proves different class against the Welsh". Herald Scotland. 1 June 2000. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
22. "Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon 2018". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
23. ^ "Billy Stark". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
24. ^ "Scotland: Billy Stark 'steps down' as under-21 coach". BBC Sport. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
25. ^ "Football: Smith protects his youngsters". The Independent. 14 October 1998. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
26. ^ "Bonhof for Scotland job". BBC Sport. 10 July 2002. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
27. "Bonhof chose to leave Scots U-21s". BBC Sport. 26 November 2005. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
28. "Malpas is the new Motherwell boss". BBC Sport. 17 May 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
29. "Knox lands Scotland under-21 role". BBC Sport. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
30. "Malpas considering career change". BBC Sport. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
31. "Danny Lennon in temporary charge of Scotland under-21s". BBC Sport. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
32. "Ricky Sbragia is new Scotland Under-21 head coach". BBC Sport. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
33. ^ "Alltime Player Records". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
34. Paul, Ian (20 January 1984). "Scotland to warm up against France". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
35. Reynolds, Jim (6 February 1980). "Archibald is only over-age player in Stein's squad". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
36. Traynor, Jim (7 March 1989). "Young ones take on French mantle". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
37. "UEFA defends decision to keep over-age stars out of Olympics". The Argus Press. 3 February 1996. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
38. "Scotland Men's Under-21 squad named for pivotal Belgium and Kazakhstan games". scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
39. Scotland National Team (9 October 2024). "Squad update. IN: Robbie Fraser. OUT: Matthew Anderson" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 October 2024 – via Twitter.
40. Scotland National Team (14 October 2024). "Squad update. IN: Connor Barron. OUT: James Forrest" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 October 2024 – via Twitter.
41. "Scotland Under-21s prepare to face Kazakhstan in final Group B Euro qualifier". scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.

External links

• SFA (under 21s)
• Uefa Under-21 website Contains full results archive
• Complete U21 results and player statistics at FitbaStats
• Complete U23 results and player statistics at FitbaStats

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Commonwealth Games

• European national under-21 association football teams
• National youth sports teams of Scotland