Cyprus U21

Cyprus enter the 2025–2027 qualifying cycle with no name at the helm: Panikos Iakovou among the earlier names attached to the side.

The team plays under the "National Team of Hopes" tag, a label chosen precisely to separate it from the senior side, "The Reds," and its record explains why the distinction matters: 139 matches produce 32 wins against 99 losses, and 21 attempts at reaching the European Under-21 Championship finals have yet to end in qualification. The closest anyone came was the 2004 cycle, when Cyprus finished second in their qualifying group with 15 points from eight matches, five of them won, trailing only France. France also supplied the extremes on either side of the ledger — beaten 2–1 in 1981 for the young side's first competitive win, then inflicting a 9–0 defeat in 2023 that stands as the heaviest in the team's history. The 6–0 win over San Marino in 2011 sits closer to what most matches against smaller nations actually look like.

Home games are played at the GSP Stadium in Strovolos, one shared with APOEL, Omonia and Olympiakos Nicosia. Since Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, the Bosman ruling has thinned the pool of young players getting regular football at their clubs.