THE REPUBLIC OF Ireland U21s have once more been drawn alongside Italy and Sweden in a qualification group for the 2023 European U21 Championship.
Jim Crawford’s youngsters will also face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and another familiar-looking foe in Luxembourg in Group F of a qualification campaign which is currently scheduled to begin in March of this year and reach its conclusion in June of next year.
Ireland, whose previous campaign was split between management under Stephen Kenny and then Crawford, missed out on qualification for this summer’s Euros, finishing third behind Italy and Iceland respectively. Sweden, whom Ireland beat home and away in qualification, finished fourth, while Luxembourg were bottom.
The nine group winners and the best runner-up (not counting results against sixth-placed teams) will qualify directly for the 2023 tournament alongside co-hosts Romania and Georgia.
The other eight runners-up will play off for the remaining four finals berths in September 2022.
Northern Ireland were drawn in Group C alongside Spain, Russia, Slovakia, Lithuania and Malta. England will face Czech Republic, Slovenia, Albania, Kosovo and Andorra.
2023 U21 Euro qualifying draw
Asterisk denotes countries who will play in the 2021 tournament in Hungary and Slovenia, alongside 2023 co-hosts Romania who are not in a qualification group. The pots were based on Uefa’s coefficient rankings system.
Group A: Croatia*, Austria, Norway, Finland, Azerbaijan, Estonia
Group B: Germany*, Poland, Israel, Hungary*, Latvia, San Marino
Group C: Spain*, Russia*, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Lithuania, Malta
Group D: Portugal*, Greece, Iceland*, Belarus, Cyprus, Liechtenstein
Group E: Netherlands*, Switzerland*, Bulgaria, Wales, Moldova, Gibraltar
Group F: Italy*, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Luxembourg
Group G: England*, Czech Republic*, Slovenia*, Albania, Kosovo, Andorra
Group H: France*, Serbia, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Faroe Islands, Armenia
Group I: Denmark*, Belgium, Turkey, Scotland, Kazakhstan
