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Ireland under-21s drawn against Lee Carsley’s England for Euro 2027 qualifiers

Jim Crawford’s squad to also face Kazakhstan, Moldova and Andorra

Republic of Ireland under-21 manager Jim Crawford. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Republic of Ireland under-21 manager Jim Crawford. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Gavin Cummiskey
Thu Feb 06 2025 - 12:10

The Republic of Ireland under-21s will face Lee Carsley’s England in the qualifiers for the 2027 Uefa European Championships.

Following a stint as interim manager of the England senior team, which included the 5-0 defeat of Ireland at Wembley last November, Carsley will guide the defending under-21 champions to Euro 2025 in Slovakia this summer.

The former Irish midfielder was interviewed by the FAI as a potential replacement for Stephen Kenny as Ireland manager last year but he decided to stay with the English FA.

Jim Crawford’s squad will also face Kazakhstan, Moldova and Andorra following the outcome of the draw held in Nyon on Thursday.

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“The stand out fixture is England,” said Crawford. “They are a quality opposition and it will be an excellent occasion to be involved in. They’ll be a good team, we played their under-20s last summer and we know what talents they possess.”

The qualifiers will be the Republic of Ireland’s first meeting with Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Moldova at under-21 level.

Ireland last met England in this age grade in 2008 and played Andorra in 2015 as part of the Euro 2017 qualifiers.

Fixture details for the Euro 2027 qualifiers are yet to be confirmed and will be announced in due course.

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey is The Irish Times' Soccer Correspondent