# 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

The 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 5th staging of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The qualifying stage spanned two years (1984–86), had 29 entrants. Spain U-21s won the competition after a penalty shootout, the first in the U-21 competition's history.
The 29 national teams were divided into eight groups (five groups of 4 + three groups of 3). 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 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations:
* Group 1 did not include Belgium (moved to Group 8)
* Group 2 did not include Malta
* Group 3 did not include Northern Ireland
* Group 4 did not include Luxembourg (moved to Group 8)
* Group 5 featured the same nations
* Group 6 did not include Republic of Ireland
* Group 7 did not include Wales
* Group 8 composed of Belgium (moved from Group 1), Luxembourg (moved from Group 4) and Italy (who did not participate in World Cup qualification)
| Qualifying group 1 | Qualifying group 1 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Poland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Greece | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
| 3 | Albania | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| Poland 5–1 Greece Poland 2–0 Albania Greece 2–0 Albania | Greece 2–1 Poland Albania 1–2 Poland Albania 2–1 Greece |
| Qualifying group 2 | Qualifying group 2 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Sweden | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | West Germany | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 7 |
| 3 | Czechoslovakia | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| 4 | Portugal | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 3 |
| Sweden 1–1 Portugal Portugal 0–1 Czechoslo. W. Germany 1–0 Sweden Portugal 0–1 Sweden Portugal 2–1 W.Germany Czechoslovakia 1–1 W. Germany | Sweden 1–0 Czechoslo. Czechoslo. 3–1 Portugal Sweden 2–1 W.Germany Czechoslo. 0–2 Sweden W. Germany 2–0 Portugal W. Germany 3–1 Czecho. |
| Qualifying group 3 | Qualifying group 3 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | England | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 8 |
| 2 | Finland | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 | Romania | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| 4 | Turkey | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| England 2–0 Finland Turkey 1–1 Finland Turkey 0–0 England Romania 1–0 Turkey Romania 0–0 England Finland 3–1 England | Finland 2–2 Romania Romania 0–0 Finland England 3–0 Romania Finland 0–0 Turkey England 3–0 Turkey Turkey 2–2 Romania |
| Qualifying group 4 | Qualifying group 4 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | France | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 7 |
| 3 | East Germany | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
| 4 | Yugoslavia | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 4 |
| Yugoslavia 1–2 Bulgaria E.Germany 1–1 Yugosl. France 2–1 Bulgaria France 1–1 E.Germany Yugoslavia 0–0 France Bulgaria 3–2 E.Germany | Bulgaria 4–0 France Bulgaria 3–6 Yugoslavia E.Germany 1–1 France Yugosl. 2–3 E.Germany E.Germany 1–1 Bulgaria France 7–0 Yugoslavia |
| Qualifying group 5 | Qualifying group 5 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Hungary | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 10 |
| 2 | Netherlands | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | Austria | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| 4 | Cyprus | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 2 |
| Cyprus 1–1 Austria Hungary 2–0 Austria Netherlands 1–0 Hungary Austria 0–0 Netherlands Cyprus 1–3 Hungary Cyprus 1–3 Netherlands | Netherlands 5–0 Cyprus Hungary 1–0 Cyprus Austria 1–2 Hungary Netherlands 2–1 Austria Austria 0–0 Cyprus Hungary 1–0 Netherlands |
| Qualifying group 6 | Qualifying group 6 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Denmark | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 8 |
| 2 | Norway | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 6 |
| 3 | Soviet Union | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| 4 | Switzerland | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 4 |
| Norway 3–0 Switzerland Denmark 2–2 Norway Norway 2–1 USSR Switzerland 1–1 Denmark Switzerland 4–2 USSR USSR 1–0 Switzerland | Denmark 1–0 USSR USSR 2–0 Denmark Denmark 4–1 Switzerland Norway 1–3 Denmark USSR 2–1 Norway Switzerland 1–1 Norway |
| Qualifying group 7 | Qualifying group 7 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Spain | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | Scotland | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 3 | Iceland | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Scotland 1–0 Iceland Scotland 0–2 Spain Spain 0–0 Scotland | Iceland 2–0 Scotland Iceland 0–1 Spain Spain 1–0 Iceland |
| Qualifying group 8 | Qualifying group 8 | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Italy | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | Belgium | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| 3 | Luxembourg | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 2 |
| Belgium 5–1 Luxembourg Belgium 1–1 Italy Italy 5–1 Luxembourg | Luxembourg 0–6 Italy Luxembourg 3–1 Belgium Italy 3–0 Belgium |

### Qualified teams

| Country | Qualified as | Previous appearances in tournament |
| Poland | Group 1 winner | 2 (1982, 1984) |
| Sweden | Group 2 winner | 0 (Debut) |
| England | Group 3 winner | 4 (1978, 1980, 1982, 1984) |
| France | Group 4 winner | 2 (1982, 1984) |
| Hungary | Group 5 winner | 2 (1978, 1980) |
| Denmark | Group 6 winner | 1 (1978) |
| Spain | Group 7 winner | 2 (1982, 1984) |
| Italy | Group 8 winner | 4 (1978, 1980, 1982, 1984) |
    $^1$ Bold indicates champion for that year

## Squads

See 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads

## Knockout stage

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| Poland | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Hungary | 0 | 5 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Hungary | 0 | 5 | 5 | Hungary | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | |
| | | | | Spain | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | |
| France | 1 | 1 | 2 | Spain | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | |
| Spain | 3 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Spain | 3 | 3 | 6 | | | | | Spain | 1 | 2 | 3 (3) |
| | | | | | | | | Italy | 2 | 1 | 3 (0) |
| Denmark | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | Italy | 2 | 1 | 3 (0) |
| England | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| England | 1 | 1 | 2 | England | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | |
| | | | | Italy | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | |
| Sweden | 1 | 1 | 2 | Italy | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | |
| Italy | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |