England U19s encompasses two distinct national youth programmes—one in football and one in cricket—that share an age-group label but operate under entirely separate governing bodies. Both feed into their respective premier international tournaments: the UEFA U19 European Championship for football and the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup for cricket. Here’s everything you need to know about both England U19 sides, from squad announcements to upcoming fixtures.
Team name: England national under-19 football team · Age group: Under-19 (U19) · Governing body: The Football Association
Quick snapshot
- England U19 men’s football team is a UEFA member, managed by The FA (EnglandFootball.com – The FA’s official publication)
- The 21-player squad for UEFA U19 EURO 2025 was announced on 19 May 2025 (EnglandFootball.com – The FA’s official squad announcement)
- Thomas Rew captained England U19 cricket for the 2026 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup (ECB official communications)
- The official appointment of a permanent manager for England MU19 following the 2025 tournament has not been formally confirmed
- The exact full roster for England U19 cricket’s 2026 World Cup campaign remains in flux pending final ECB clearance
- Whether any 2025 football squad players will be promoted to the U21 side for the 2025-26 season has not been announced
- England U19 football: 14 June 2025 drew 2–2 vs Norway; 17 June 2025 drew 5–5 vs Germany; 20 June 2025 lost 2–4 vs Netherlands (UEFA U19 EURO, Romania) (BBC Sport live reporting)
- England U19 cricket: 2026 ICC U19 World Cup scheduled for Namibia and Zimbabwe (BBC Sport live reporting)
- England football U19s will begin qualifying for the 2026 UEFA U19 European Championship in late 2025 or early 2026
- England cricket U19s are building towards the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in early 2026
| Attribute | Football (England MU19) | Cricket (England U19 Men) |
|---|---|---|
| Governing body | The Football Association (The FA) | England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) |
| Competitions | UEFA European Under-19 Championship | ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup |
| 2025 highlight | UEFA U19 EURO group stage, Romania | Pre-World Cup preparation and warm-up matches |
| Key result | Eliminated at group stage; 0 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss | Squad building for 2026 World Cup |
| Current captain | Not officially confirmed (reportedly Kiano Dyer) | Thomas Rew (2026 ICC U19 World Cup) |
| Head coach / manager | Simon Rusk (2023–24 qualifiers; current status TBC) | ECB-appointed coaching staff |
| 2026 World Cup host | TBD (qualification round) | Namibia and Zimbabwe |
| Squad size (tournament) | 21 players (2025 UEFA U19 EURO) | 15 players (per ECB announcement) |
| Home colours | White and red | White ECB kit |
What is the England U19 football team?
The England national under-19 football team—commonly referred to as England MU19 or the Young Lions—is the official youth side representing England at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Managed by The Football Association (The FA), it sits below the U21 side in England’s age-group hierarchy and serves as a crucial development pathway for Premier League academy graduates. Players must be under 19 on the start date of the competition they are entering.
History of the team
England MU19 first competed in European youth tournaments in the late 1940s and secured their inaugural European U18 Championship title in 1948. The programme gained renewed momentum in the 2010s, with England winning the UEFA U19 European Championship in both 2017 and 2022, establishing themselves as consistent contenders on the continental stage. The team has regularly produced players who transition into the senior England squad, making youth international football a high-stakes environment for club academies.
Governing body
The FA operates all of England’s men’s youth teams, from U15 through to U21. The MU19 side specifically is managed by a head coach appointed by The FA’s technical department. Simon Rusk held the role during the 2023–24 qualifying campaign, overseeing a squad that included Jobe Bellingham, Archie Gray, and Jamie Donley. The current managerial appointment for the post-2025 tournament cycle has not yet been formally confirmed through official channels.
Age group
The under-19 classification applies to players who are under 19 by the start of the relevant UEFA tournament. This creates a narrow eligibility window where academy players as young as 16 or 17 can feature alongside near-senior prospects. The FA runs parallel youth streams for other age groups, including the U18, U17, and U16 sides, but MU19 is the primary launchpad for players moving into first-team football at club level.
Who are the current England U19 players and squad?
For the 2025 UEFA U19 European Championship finals in Romania, The FA announced a 21-player squad on 19 May 2025. The group featured academy talent from 14 different clubs, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur among the most heavily represented institutions. Three initial selections—Tyler Dibling, Lewis Miley, and Chris Rigg—were replaced before the tournament, with Jesse Derry, Reiss Russell-Denny, and Justin Oboavwoduo called up in their place, according to EnglandFootball.com – The FA’s official squad announcement.
Current squad list
- Goalkeepers: Finlay Herrick, Tommy Setford, Matthew Young
- Defenders: Zach Abbott, Joe Johnson, Caleb Kporha, Jayden Meghoma, Stephen Mfuni, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Triston Rowe
- Midfielders: Kiano Dyer, Josh King, Reiss Russell-Denny
- Forwards: Justin Oboavwoduo, Samuel Amo-Ameyaw, Jesse Derry, Shumaira Mheuka, Mikey Moore, Tom Watson, Ethan Wheatley, Kadan Young
Position breakdown
The 2025 squad carried three goalkeepers, seven defenders, three midfielders, and eight forwards—a weighting that reflects the modern preference for attacking options in youth international football. The forward contingent is notably large, covering several attacking roles from centre-forward to wide playmakers. Several players, including Moore (Tottenham Hotspur) and Mheuka (Manchester United), had attracted senior club attention before their international call-ups.
Key players
Kiano Dyer, who trained with the first team at his club, was widely regarded as a central figure in the 2025 squad ahead of the Romania tournament. Jesse Derry, called up as a late replacement for Lewis Miley, added Premier League experience from his club performances. Mikey Moore, one of the youngest players in the group, had already trained with Tottenham Hotspur’s senior side—making him one to watch in subsequent qualification cycles.
What are the England U19 fixtures and results?
England MU19’s 2025 UEFA European Under-19 Championship campaign in Romania delivered three high-scoring group-stage matches with no wins—their final position reflecting a difficult group that included Germany and the Netherlands alongside Norway. Every match was played in June 2025, with the BBC Sport live page carrying match-by-match reporting from the Rapid-Giulești Stadium in Bucharest and the Ilie Oană Stadium in Ploiești.
Upcoming fixtures
England MU19 will now target qualification for the 2026 UEFA U19 European Championship, with qualifying matches expected to be scheduled from late 2025 or early 2026. Official fixture announcements will be published on EnglandFootball.com – The FA’s official publication ahead of each window. Warm-up friendlies against established youth nations are typically arranged in the months leading into qualifying tournaments.
Recent results
- vs Norway U19 (14 June 2025, Ploiești, UEFA U19 EURO group stage): Drew 2–2 at the Ilie Oană Stadium
- vs Germany U19 (17 June 2025, Bucharest, UEFA U19 EURO group stage): Drew 5–5 at the Arcul de Triumf Stadium
- vs Netherlands U19 (20 June 2025, Bucharest, UEFA U19 EURO group stage): Lost 2–4 at the Rapid-Giulești Stadium — eliminated from the tournament
UEFA U19 Championship qualifiers
England topped their qualifying round group with 7 points from 2 wins and 1 draw, scoring 3 goals and conceding 1. Results included a 1–0 win over Lithuania and a 2–1 win over Bulgaria, securing passage to the finals in Romania. The 5–5 draw with Germany remains one of the highest-scoring draws in recent U19 international history, according to ESPN’s England U19 results archive.
England’s attacking output in Romania—scoring 9 goals across 3 matches—was genuinely impressive, but defensive fragility cost them qualification. For context, no other group-stage team in the 2025 U19 EURO conceded more than England’s 11 goals across three games.
How do England U19 compare to other teams like Portugal, Bulgaria, and Spain?
England MU19 occupies the upper-middle tier of European youth football, competitive with nations like Germany, Netherlands, and Portugal but not yet consistently matching Spain’s technical depth. The 2025 group-stage draw against Germany, and the narrow loss to a strong Netherlands side, illustrates where England currently sits—a team capable of scoring against elite opposition but struggling to close out matches at key moments.
Head-to-head records
- vs Portugal: England holds a positive historical record against Portugal U19, having won their last competitive meeting in a qualifying round. Portugal have traditionally been strong at youth level, frequently producing senior internationals from their U19 programme.
- vs Bulgaria: England beat Bulgaria 2–1 in the 2025 qualifying round, a result that helped secure qualification for the finals tournament in Romania.
- vs Spain: England U19 faced Spain U19 in a pre-tournament friendly shortly before the 2025 UEFA U19 EURO, drawing 3–3 according to match footage published on official YouTube highlight footage. Spain is widely regarded as one of Europe’s strongest youth football nations.
Notable matches
The 5–5 draw with Germany in June 2025 stands out as the most dramatic result of England’s recent campaign—a match that saw both sides exchange leads on multiple occasions. The result, while entertaining, reflected defensive weaknesses that ultimately cost England qualification when combined with the Netherlands loss.
Strengths and weaknesses
England MU19’s primary strength lies in attacking depth—Premier League academy environments produce technically proficient forwards capable of scoring at international level. The defensive unit, however, showed inconsistencies in the 2025 tournament, conceding 11 goals across three matches. The midfield transition game also requires development, with several players still adapting to the physical demands of senior academy football.
England’s youth teams increasingly function as talent pipelines for the senior national side. Players like Cole Palmer and Phil Foden used the U19 pathway before breaking into the senior squad. The current 2025 squad—especially Moore and Mheuka—represents the next generation of that pipeline.
What is the England U19 cricket team?
The England Under-19 cricket team is the national youth side administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), competing in ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cups and youth international series. Unlike the football U19 side, which draws exclusively from professional club academies, the cricket programme recruits from county cricket systems, school programmes, and emerging player pathways managed by each of England’s 18 first-class counties.
Overview of the cricket team
England’s U19 cricket programme has a quieter history at World Cup level compared to some competing nations, but the ECB has invested heavily in youth development infrastructure in recent years. The team competes every two years in the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, with additional series against Australia, South Africa, and other Test nations arranged outside of the tournament cycle. According to Wikipedia tournament records, England were among the first nations to announce their 15-player squad for the 2024 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.
Recent matches
England U19 cricket participated in the 2024 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, hosted in South Africa during January–February 2024. Match coverage through ESPN’s England Under-19s cricket page included a rain-affected fixture against South Africa in Potchefstroom where England secured a victory. The squad that competed in South Africa included Ben McKinney as captain, with the announcement made on 7 December 2023.
Key players
Ben McKinney captained England U19 at the 2024 ICC World Cup in South Africa. He was selected for the senior county game following his youth international performances. For the 2026 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in Namibia and Zimbabwe, Thomas Rew has been named captain with Farhan Ahmed as vice-captain, according to ECB official communications. The ECB has confirmed a 15-player squad for the upcoming tournament.
England’s U19 cricket programme produces fewer household names than its football counterpart, but the pathway is equally structured. County cricket’s depth means the ECB can rotate talent effectively between youth and senior teams. Players who perform at U19 level frequently move into second-team county cricket within 12–18 months.
England U19 football vs cricket: side by side
Three data points reveal the structural differences between England’s two U19 programmes: governing body (The FA vs ECB), competition cadence (annual UEFA qualification windows vs biennial ICC World Cups), and squad size (21 players in football vs 15 in cricket). Both share the common thread of using major tournaments as proving grounds for players who will eventually transition into senior international environments.
| Dimension | Football (England MU19) | Cricket (England U19 Men) |
|---|---|---|
| Governing body | The Football Association (The FA) | England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) |
| 2025 headline result | UEFA U19 EURO: 0 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss (group stage) | 2026 World Cup preparation |
| 2025 match count | 3 group-stage matches in Romania | Warm-up fixtures and domestic pathway matches |
| Most recent trophy | UEFA U19 European Championship (2022) | Best ICC World Cup finish: semi-finals |
| Next major tournament | 2026 UEFA U19 European Championship qualifiers | ICC Men’s U19 World Cup (Namibia/Zimbabwe, 2026) |
| Current captain | Not officially confirmed | Thomas Rew |
| Vice-captain | N/A | Farhan Ahmed |
| Tournament squad size | 21 players (2025) | 15 players (2024 and 2026) |
| Home venue | Rotates (various UK training bases) | ECB HQ, various county grounds |
| Key source | EnglandFootball.com – The FA’s official publication | ECB official communications |
The implication is clear: each programme operates on its own logic, with the football side chasing annual European honours and the cricket side building toward biennial global tournaments.
Clarity check: what’s confirmed and what’s uncertain
The research for this article drew on a range of source tiers, from official governing body announcements (Tier 1) to Wikipedia coverage and tournament records (Tier 3). Some claims are locked in by high-confidence, multiply-verified sources; others remain open questions pending further official announcements.
Confirmed facts
- England U19 football is a UEFA member under The FA’s governance
- The 21-player squad for UEFA U19 EURO 2025 was announced on 19 May 2025
- England drew 2–2 with Norway on 14 June 2025 and drew 5–5 with Germany on 17 June 2025
- England lost 2–4 to Netherlands on 20 June 2025 and were eliminated from the group stage
- Thomas Rew captains England U19 cricket for the 2026 ICC World Cup
- Ben McKinney captained the England U19 cricket squad at the 2024 ICC World Cup in South Africa
- England U19 women’s football beat Belgium 6–0 on 2 April 2025 in a UEFA qualifying match
What’s uncertain
- The permanent managerial appointment for England MU19 post-2025 has not been formally confirmed
- The complete 2026 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup squad has not been publicly verified beyond the captain and vice-captain roles
- The current official captain of England MU19 football is not listed in the FA squad announcement
- Whether any 2025 squad players will transition to the U21 side in the 2025-26 season has not been announced
- The exact kick-off schedule for 2026 UEFA U19 qualifying rounds has not been published
en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, englandfootball.com, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, vietnambulletin.com
Frequently asked questions
What is the age requirement for England U19?
Players must be under 19 years of age on the start date of the relevant competition. For the UEFA U19 European Championship, this means players born on or after 1 January of the year two years before the tournament year are eligible. For cricket’s ICC U19 World Cup, the ICC sets a similar birth-year cutoff, typically within two years of the tournament year.
How are players selected for the England U19 team?
For football, The FA’s technical staff monitor academy players across the Premier League, Championship, and Football League, with squad announcements made by the appointed head coach. For cricket, the ECB’s youth selection panel works with county cricket academies and school pathway programmes to identify candidates. Both programmes use domestic performances as the primary selection criterion.
Does England U19 play in the FIFA World Cup?
No. The men’s England U19 football team competes in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, which is UEFA’s primary youth competition. There is no separate FIFA U19 World Cup for men’s football at this age group—FIFA runs the U-20 World Cup instead. For cricket, the ICC runs the Men’s U19 World Cup every two years, which England participates in.
What is the difference between England U19 and U21?
The primary difference is age eligibility and competitive level. U19 is the younger age group and typically features more academy-focused players, while U21 includes players approaching senior level. The U21 side competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship and is used as a stepping stone for players being prepared for senior international football. Some players transition from U19 to U21 within a single season.
How can I watch England U19 matches?
UEFA U19 Championship matches are often streamed on UEFA’s official YouTube channel or broadcaster platforms in participating countries. UK-based coverage for England youth matches is typically available through BBC Sport or ITV Sport depending on the tournament rights. For cricket, ECB’s website and ESPN’s cricket coverage carry live scores and match highlights for U19 World Cup fixtures.
What kit does England U19 wear?
England’s men’s youth football team wears the standard England home kit (white shirt with navy shorts) for home matches, with red and white away options. The cricket team wears the ECB-designated white and red kit in keeping with traditional cricket dress codes for international youth matches. Both teams display the governing body’s crest on the chest.
Who is the all-time top scorer for England U19?
The all-time scoring records for England U19 are not formally catalogued in a single public source, making a definitive answer difficult. Players like James Maddison and Phil Foden, who came through the youth system, have high goal tallies in senior youth categories, but comprehensive official record-keeping for the U19 specifically remains limited in public availability.
Freya Lindholm
Features Writer — Freya Lindholm writes long-form football explainers, club background pieces, and player profile features. Her work focuses on turning complex football stories into clear, readable, and useful reference content for fans.