2027 Under-21 EURO in Albania and Serbia: Tournament information

Albania and Serbia will host the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The match and draw dates are to be confirmed.

The appointment of the Albanian and Serbian Football Associations was made by the UEFA Executive Committee in February 2025. The matches are played in eight venues in eight different cities across the two nations, four in each.

The 2027 finals will be the fourth since the expansion to 16 teams, following the 2021 edition in Hungary and Slovenia, the 2023 tournament in Georgia and Romania and 2025 in Slovakia.

Co-hosts Albania and Serbia will be joined in the finals by the ten teams that come through the qualifying group stage running until 6 October 2026, and the three winners of the play-offs the following month.

This will be the first time the U21 EURO finals have been played in Albania or Serbia. Albania hosted their first UEFA national-team final tournament when they staged the 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, while Tirana hosted the first-ever UEFA Conference League final in 2022. Serbia hosted the Under-17 tournament in 2011 and UEFA Futsal EURO 2016 was played in Belgrade.

How does U21 EURO work?

The 16 teams are drawn into four groups of four for the final tournament, with the winners and runners-up in each section reaching the quarter-finals. There will be a standard knockout format from there with extra time and penalties if needed.

The exact list of stadiums is to be confirmed.

What are the U21 EURO qualifying match dates?

Qualifying group stage

▪ 5–10 June 2025
▪ 4–9 September 2025
▪ 9–14 October 2025
▪ 13–18 November 2025
▪ 26–31 March 2026
▪ 24 September–6 October 2026

Play-offs

▪ 9–17 November 2026

U21 EURO final tournament hosts

16 teams
2027: Albania & Serbia
2025: Slovakia
2023: Georgia & Romania
2021: Hungary & Slovenia

12 teams
2019: Italy
2017: Poland

8 teams
2015: Czechia
2013: Israel
2011: Denmark
2009: Sweden
2007: Netherlands
2006: Portugal
2004: Germany
2002: Switzerland
2000: Slovakia
1998: Romania*

4 teams
1996: Spain*
1994: France*

*Straight knockout

Prior to 1994, the quarter-finals onwards were played over two legs on a home-and-away basis.