# 1972 UEFA European Under-23 Championship

The 1972 UEFA European Under-23 Championship, which spanned two years (1970–72) had 23 entrants. Czechoslovakia U-23s won the competition.
The 23 national teams were divided into eight groups. The group winners played off against each other on a two-legged home-and-away basis until the winner was decided. There was no finals tournament or 3rd-place playoff.

## Qualifying stage
### Draw

The allocation of teams into qualifying groups was based on that of UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying tournament with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations:
* Group 2 and 8 had the same competing nations
* Group 1 did not include Wales
* Group 3 did not include England and Malta
* Group 4 did not include Northern Ireland and Cyprus
* Group 5 did not include Belgium and Scotland
* Group 6 did not include Republic of Ireland
* Group 7 did not include Luxembourg

### Group 1

| | | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Czechoslovakia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Romania | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | Finland | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| Finland 1–1 Czechoslovakia Finland 0–1 Romania Romania 1–1 Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia 5–2 Finland Romania 3–1 Finland Czechoslovakia 1–0 Romania |
| Czechoslovakia qualify as group winners ||

### Group 2

| | | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Bulgaria | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | Hungary | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Norway | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 5 |
| 4 | France | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| Norway 1–0 Hungary France 0–0 Norway Bulgaria 5–0 Norway France 1–1 Hungary Bulgaria 1–0 Hungary Norway 1–1 Bulgaria | Norway 4–4 France Hungary 2–0 Bulgaria Hungary 3–0 France Hungary 3–0 Norway Bulgaria 1–0 France France 0–1 Bulgaria |
| Bulgaria qualify as group winners ||

### Group 3

| Qualifying Group 3 | Qualifying Group 3 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Greece | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Greece 1–0 Switzerland | Switzerland 0–2 Greece |
| Greece qualify as group winners ||

### Group 4

| | | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Spain | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |

### Group 5

| | | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Denmark | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Portugal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Portugal 1–1 Denmark | Denmark 2–1 Portugal |
| Denmark qualify as group winners ||

### Group 6

| | | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Sweden | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Italy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| 3 | Austria | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| Italy 3–1 Austria Sweden 2–0 Austria Italy 1–0 Sweden | Austria 0–2 Sweden Sweden 4–1 Italy Austria 2–1 Italy |
| Sweden qualify as group winners ||

### Group 7

| | | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Netherlands | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| 2 | Yugoslavia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| 3 | East Germany | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| Netherlands 5–2 Yugoslavia East Germany 3–1 Netherlands Yugoslavia 1–1 Netherlands | East Germany 0–1 Yugoslavia Netherlands 2–1 East Germany Yugoslavia 3–1 East Germany |
| Netherlands qualify as group winners ||

### Group 8

| | | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | West Germany | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| 2 | Poland | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Albania | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| 4 | Turkey | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
| Albania 1–1 Poland Turkey 0–2 West Germany Turkey 0–0 Albania Albania 0–2 West Germany West Germany 3–0 Turkey Poland 2–1 Albania | West Germany 2–0 Albania Turkey 0–0 Poland Poland 1–1 West Germany Albania 0–0 Turkey West Germany 1–0 Poland Poland 3–0 Turkey |
| West Germany qualify as group winners ||

## Knockout stage

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 0 | 2 (2) | | | | | | | | |
| Netherlands | 2 | 0 | 2 (0) | | | | | | | | |
| Netherlands | 2 | 0 | 2 (0) | Czechoslovakia | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | Greece | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | |
| Denmark | 2 | 0 | 2 | Greece | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | |
| Greece | 0 | 5 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Greece | 0 | 5 | 5 | | | | | Soviet Union | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | Czechoslovakia | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | | | | | Czechoslovakia | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| West Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| West Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | Soviet Union | 4 | 3 | 7 | | | | |
| | | | | Bulgaria | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | |
| Sweden | 1 | 1 | 2 | Bulgaria | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | |
| Czechoslovakia | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | |