Republic of Ireland U21

The group for Euro 2025 ended with the side second, behind Italy, when a playoff against Israel went to penalties and ended in defeat. The team has entered qualification for every UEFA European Under-21 Championship since 1988 without reaching the tournament proper.

The side traces back to 1978, when it drew 1–1 with Northern Ireland at Dalymount Park in its first match, the same year UEFA replaced the old Under-23 format with the Under-21 age group.

Tallaght Stadium serves as the main base, with Turners Cross in Cork also used for home games, and training runs out of the FAI's National Training Centre in Abbotstown. Jim Crawford has managed the squad since April 2020, having taken over from Stephen Kenny, under whom the team finished fourth at the 2019 Toulon Tournament with a group that included Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah.

What the age group is best known for is producing players who go on to senior careers: Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy and Matt Doherty all passed through it, as more recently have Evan Ferguson and Troy Parrott. The name that still stands out in the record books, though, is Robbie Brady , who scored seven goals for the under-21s.