| Republic of Ireland Under-21 | |
| Nickname: | Boys in Green |
| Association: | Football Association of Ireland (FAI) |
| Captain: | Joe Hodge |
| Most Caps: | Conor Coventry (28) |
| Top Scorer: | Robbie Brady (7) Kevin Doyle (7) Sinclair Armstrong (7) |
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| First Game: | Rep. Ireland 1–1 Northern Ireland (Dublin; 8 March 1978) |
| Largest Win: |  San Marino 0–7 Rep. Ireland  (Serravalle, San Marino; 22 March 2024) |
| Largest Loss: | Germany 8–0 Rep. Ireland (Baunatal, Germany; 23 March 1993) |
| Uefau21champ Apps: | Have never qualified |
The Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team is a representative team of Irish football players. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland and represents them at Under-21 level against the national teams of other national associations. The team played its first match in 1978 and has competed in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship since 1988.
As a European under-21 team, the Republic of Ireland participates in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which takes place every two years. There is no Under-21 World Cup, although there is an Under-20 World Cup. Ireland did not enter the first five Under-21 Championships, entering for the first time in 1988 but failing to qualify. Ireland have never qualified for the European Under-21 Championships.
| UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship record | width=1% rowspan=28 | UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Qualification record | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | * | |||||||||||||
| 1978 | did not enter | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| 1980 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| 1982 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| 1984 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| 1986 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| 1988 | did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||
| 1990 | did not enter | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| 1992 | did not qualify | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | ||||||||
 1994 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 | |||||||||
 1996 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||
 1998 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 7 | |||||||||
 2000 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 12 | |||||||||
 2002 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 7 | |||||||||
 2004 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | |||||||||
 2006 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 14 | |||||||||
 2007 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
 2009 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 14 | |||||||||
 2011 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 11 | |||||||||
 2013 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 10 | |||||||||
 2015 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 12 | |||||||||
 2017 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 17 | |||||||||
 2019 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 15 | |||||||||
  2021 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 8 | |||||||||
 2023 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 11 | |||||||||
| 2025 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 12 | |||||||||
| Total | – | 144 | 48 | 31 | 65 | 184 | 199 | ||||||||
See main article: 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group A.
The Under-21s' management team includes:[1]
| Position | Name | Appointed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Jim Crawford | 5 April 2020 | |
| Assistant coach | Paul McShane | 28 August 2023 | |
| Assistant coach | Stephen Rice | 29 August 2024 | |
| Goalkeeping coach | Rene Gilmartin | 24 April 2020 | |
| Lead Performance Analyst | Martin Doyle | April 2020 | |
| Sports Scientist | Paul Walsh | 18 March 2023 | |
| Sports Scientist | Adam Fox | June 2021 | |
| Chartered Physiotherapist |  Glauber Barduzzi | 24 April 2019 | |
| Athletic Therapist | Kieran Murray | March 2022 | |
| Doctor | Dr Mortimer O'Connor | March 2021 | |
| Performance Nutritionist | Ian Byrne | March 2023 | |
| Kitman | John Crudden | May 2023 |
Players born on or after 1 January 2004 are eligible for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
The following players were called up for the Friendly fixtures against Sweden U21 in Marbella, Spain on 14 & 17 November 2024.[2]
Caps and goals updated as of 17 November 2024, after the game vs Sweden.
The following players have also been called up to the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad and remain eligible:
INJ Withdrew from latest squad due to injury
WD Withdrew from latest squad
PRE Preliminary squad / standby
SUS Player is suspended
SEN Player called up to Senior squad
Note: Names in italics denote players that have been capped for the senior team.