News (engl.)

After successfully qualifying for the 2027 European Championship in Albania and Serbia, the Germany U21s will use the upcoming international break to test themselves at the highest level against two very ambitious opponents who qualified for the tournament as winners of their groups. Head coach Antonio Di Salvo has today named his squad for the fixtures against Belgium on Friday, 13th November (18:00 CET) at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße in Essen and the away game against Croatia in Rijeka on Tuesday, 17th November (18:00 CET).

“We want to use both of these gams to see how well we can perform against such strong opponents,” said Di Salvo. “It’s the next step for our team on the road to the European Championship next summer. We’d also like to further improve our patterns of play at this high level so that the team can develop a better understanding of one another.”

Five players return, two new faces

There are comebacks to the U21 side for Dennis Seimen (VfB Stuttgart), Mika Baur (Celtic), Muhammed Damar (VfL Wolfsburg), Anton Kade (FC Augsburg) and Cajetan Lenz (TSG Hoffenheim). Goalkeeper Tom Ritzy Hülsmann (Stade Reims) has been called up for the first time, whilst Hennes Behrens (FC Augsburg) will be joining the U21s from the senior Germany side.

There are several players who will get the chance to prove themselves in the senior team during the upcoming international break. “I’m really pleased that there are six players still eligible for the U21s – Tom Bischof, Said El Mala, Brajan Gruda, Finn Jeltsch, Lennart Karl and Wael Mohya – who will get the chance to show what they’ve got with the senior side,” said Di Salvo. “I wish them, and, of course, the whole team, every success in the Nations League.”

European Championship draw on 26th November

Ilyas Ansah (Hull City), Noahkai Banks (FC Augsburg), Noah Darvich (SV Elversberg), Aljoscha Kemlein (1. FC Union Berlin), Assan Ouedraogo (RB Leipzig) and Nelson Weiper (SK Sturm Graz) are all unavailable due to injury or ongoing rehabilitation training.

The European U21 Championship will take place between 16th June and 3rd July 2027 in Albania and Serbia. The groups for the competition will be drawn on Thursday, 26th November in Belgrade.