Football national side

Scotland U21

National team · United Kingdom

«Young Scots»

34 Matches

13 wins

10 draws

11 losses

61–37 Goals

+24 Difference

1.8 Scored per game

Form D W W D L W

Christian Dailly holds the record for appearances with 35 caps, all won between 1990 and 1996. That stretch ended in the same year Scotland finished fourth at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. It was the third time the side had reached the last four. The first two, in 1982 and 1992, also ended at the semi-final stage.

The team exists because UEFA lowered the age limit from under-23 to under-21 in 1976. Scotland played their first match that October, a 0–0 draw away to Czechoslovakia in Plzeň. Craig Brown was in charge from 1986 to 1993, so he was the manager for the 1992 semi-final. Two decades later the side won the Three Nations Tournament in 1999 and again in 2000.

Scott Gemmill was head coach for ten years, from 2016 to 2026. His last full campaign, the 2023–2025 qualifying cycle for the European Under-21 Championship, brought five wins, a draw and four defeats. That left Scotland third in Group B on 16 points, and they missed the finals. Tony Docherty took over in August 2026.

The players in these squads tend to be at Scottish clubs or the academies of English ones, and the list of former members includes Steven Naismith, Scott Brown and Billy Gilmour. Home games are played in white shirts and navy shorts at Hampden Park in Glasgow, the same kit the senior side wears.

Opponents in this age group are usually judged on the qualifying table. England are the exception, because the fixture carries the weight of the senior meetings. It is known as the "Auld Enemy" derby, a name taken from the old rivalry between the two national teams.

Latest results

Fixtures and results

6 Oct	UEFA U21 Championship - Qualification	Bulgaria U21 A
30 Sep	UEFA U21 Championship - Qualification	Azerbaijan U21 H	5:2	W
31 Mar	UEFA U21 Championship - Qualification	Portugal U21 A	0:3	L
27 Mar	UEFA U21 Championship - Qualification	Czech Republic U21 H	0:0	D
18 Nov 2025	UEFA U21 Championship - Qualification	Bulgaria U21 H	1:0	W
15 Nov 2025	UEFA U21 Championship - Qualification	Gibraltar U21 A	2:0	W