What’s there to win?
Eternal fame. And a ticket to the Olympics. Of the sixteen countries – four groups of four teams – the three best classified can go to the Games of 2024 in Paris. France has already been placed as host country. England participates in the Games as Great Britain and therefore cannot qualify. If France and England qualify for the semi-finals, a jump-off match will be played between the two best losing quarter-finalists to divide the third ticket for the Olympic Games. If none of those countries qualify for the semi-finals, a jump-off match will be played between the two losing semi-finalists.
Who is in?
Group A: Georgia, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands, Group B: Spain, Croatia, Ukraine and Romania, Group C: Germany, Czech Republic, England and Israel, Group D: France, Switzerland, Italy and Norway.
Who will win the tournament?
Hard to predict. England and France do come up with the most impressive teams. Both countries represent, according to the specialized Transfermarkt.be, an estimated combined market value of EUR 386.9 million and EUR 415.7 million respectively. That is both more than the market value of the Red Devils, which is currently 367.7 million euros, after Kevin De Bruyne and Loïs Openda dropped out.
When do the Belgians play?
The Young Devils were drawn in group A containing the Netherlands, host country Georgia and Portugal. The reserves must be among the top two in their group to qualify for the quarter-finals. The Young Devils come into action on June 21 (the Netherlands), June 24 (Georgia) and June 27 (Portugal), each time at 6 p.m. Belgian time.
Why do 23-year-olds also participate in EURO U21?
The qualifying campaign for the European Championship already started in March 2021. To give national coaches the opportunity to also select the players who played during the qualifications, UEFA has determined that all players born after January 1, 2000 could be selected. At the Young Devils, no less than 11 of the 23 selected players, including Loïs Openda (23), Olivier Deman (23) and Charles De Ketelaere (22), are older than 23.
Where can I follow the tournament?
In the app, on the site and in the paper newspaper of Nieuwsblad Sport you can read the reports, analyzes and stories of our man on the spot. Canvas broadcasts the matches of the Young Devils and the final.
