2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Mistrovství Evropy ve fotbale hráčů do 21 let 2015
Tournament details
Host country Czech Republic
Dates17–30 June
Teams8 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)4 (in 3 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Sweden (1st title)
Runners-up Portugal
Tournament statistics
Matches played15
Goals scored37 (2.47 per match)
Attendance162,994 (10,866 per match)
Top scorer(s)Czech Republic Jan Kliment (3 goals)
Best player(s)Portugal William Carvalho
2013
2017

The 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 20th edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, a biennial international football competition for men's under-21 national teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament was hosted for the first time in the Czech Republic from 15 to 30 June 2015, after their bid was selected by the UEFA Executive Committee on 20 March 2012 in Istanbul.[1]

Players born on or after 1 January 1992 were eligible to participate in the competition.[2] Fifty-two teams participated in a qualification tournament, taking place between March 2013 and October 2014, to determine the seven teams that would join the final tournament hosts. Holders Spain were not able to defend their title after being eliminated in the qualification play-offs by Serbia.

In the final, played at the Eden Arena in Prague, Sweden defeated Portugal 4–3 in a penalty shootout, after a goalless draw at the end of extra-time. In doing so, the Swedish team won their first title in this competition, having previously lost the 1992 final, and secured their first-ever title in UEFA youth competitions on the men's side.

By reaching the semi-finals, Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Sweden also qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in Brazil.[3]

  1. ^ "Czech Republic to host 2015 Under-21 finals" (Press release). UEFA.com. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2013–15" (PDF). UEFA.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  3. ^ "European foursome bound for Brazil". FIFA.com. 24 June 2015. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015.

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