Greece U21 reach EURO play-offs after 1–0 win in Northern Ireland
Greece ended qualifying with nine wins from ten matches but finished one goal short of direct qualification. The play-off draw takes place on 9 October.
Greece's Under-21 national team beat Northern Ireland 1–0 at Mourneview Park on the evening of 6 October and secured a place in the play-offs for the 2027 U21 EURO finals.
The result is confirmed by the Hellenic Football Federation and UEFA. Greece completed the group with nine wins in ten matches, level on points with Germany but second on head-to-head goal difference.
Mythou scores, but a second goal does not come
Anestis Mythou scored the only goal in the 32nd minute with a turning header from Allen's corner. Greece kept pushing because victory by at least two goals was needed to qualify directly as the best runners-up.
UEFA records that the 1–0 win left Greece one goal behind Poland in the runners-up ranking. Poland qualified directly, while Greece advanced to the play-offs.
Draw on 9 October
The draw will take place on Friday 9 October at 12:00 Greek time, with no seeding.
Greece's seven possible opponents are Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Türkiye. The eight teams will form four ties.
Two-legged ties in November
The play-offs will be held between 9 and 17 November 2026. The four winners will complete the finals line-up for the tournament hosted by Albania and Serbia from 16 June to 3 July 2027.
English translation of the Greek edition · Read in Greek