First and early years

The Youth National Team of Greece (U-18) was first set up in 1956 for their participation in the UEFA European Under-18 Championship, which was held in Hungary. Since then, they have been continuously participating in European Youth Leagues, formerly as U-18 and since 2002 as U-19. They have qualified several times in the final stage and has played twice in the final of the event: in 2007 and 2012 and three times in the final: 1974 and 1999 (defeated) and 1995 (who beat and took third place).

The road to Austria

Greece Under-19 Team started the campaign leading to the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship in October 2006. During the first qualifying round the team was seeded in the Group 1, with Bulgaria (hostess), Ukraine and Kazakhstan being the other participants in the group. Greece finished at the top of the Group 1, after two wins against the hosts Bulgarians (2–0 on October 20, goals by Lampropoulos and Vallianos) and Ukraine (2–1 on October 25, goals by Vasilis Pliatsikas and Lampropoulos). The team also lost 4–2 to Kazakhstan (October 22, goals by Kostas Mitroglou and Pliatsikas).

Greece hosted the next phase, called Elite Round, facing now stronger opponents. Against Croatia on June 1 of 2007, Greece was held to 2–2 by a late equaliser despite two goals from the Greek promising attacker Kostas Mitroglou. Two days later, Mitroglou stroke against and lead the team to a 2–0 win against Italy, Siovas scoring the other goal. Finally, on June 6, Greece crushed Sweden 4–0, with goals from Papadopoulos, Mitroglou, Ath. Papazoglou and a late own-goal from the Swedish team. Again, Greece U-19 Team sealed the first place of the group.

2007 European Under-19 Championship in Austria

Greece was seeded in the Group A with Austria, Portugal and Spain. The team started with a precious victory against Portugal (16 July 2007), in a close encounter with many opportunities from both sides. Sotiris Ninis and Kostas Mitroglou were a constant danger and finally the second scored on the 52nd minute. Two days later, Greece faced the hosting Austria team and also the crowd that filled the stadium in Pasching. Ninis showed great vision breaking the Austrian defense with a through ball that brought Mitroglou alone against the opponent goalkeeper. Mitroglou scored again but the hosts scored a second half goal from penalty and the match ended 1–1. On July 21 Greece faced holders and favourites Spain. Both teams qualified after a goalless draw, despite a good second half performance from the Greek side and a lost penalty by Mitroglou.

The semifinal against Germany was held on July 24 in Steyr. The German side included promising stars with experience in the Bundesliga, such as Sebastian Tyrala, Jerome Boateng, and Anis Ben-Hatira. The Germans, who had finished first in Group B, started strongly and piled up pressure until they scored on the 25th minute with Ben-Hatira. Greece responded almost immediately with shots from Papadopoulos, Vasilis Pliatsikas and Mitroglou and it was Sotiris Ninis, Greece's wonderkid who unlocked the German defense on the 40th minute to score a deserved equaliser. Greece seemed vivid in the start of the second half and had some chances until Ninis with a clever header found Mitroglou in the area 58 minutes after the start of the game. The Greek striker scored his third goal of the tournament and Greece was now ahead 2–1. On the 61st minute Vasilis Pliatsikas was shown a second yellow card and the team now is left with ten. Germany started its counterattack and was given a controversial penalty four minutes later, taken successfully from Ben-Hatira for the 2–2. Despite playing with ten men the Greek side managed to overcome the German pressure and tried to hit back. It was the 90th minute when Ninis took a corner from left, aimed Lambropoulos at the near post and the young forward beat the German goalkeeper to give a dramatic and memorable 3–2 win to the Greek side.

Greece faced Spain on July 27 in Linz. The Spanish coach, Juan Santisteban and his side were the holders and the first to reach successive U-19 finals. Players from giants Real Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona were among the Spanish players. The Greek team, on the other side was very confident and inspired by the coaching of Nikos Nioplias who pushed a ten-men team forward in the game against Germany. However Greece had two experienced players out. Vasilis Pliatsikas had faced a red card in the semifinal and the captain, central defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos picked a second yellow in the tournament when Germany was awarded a controversial penalty in the semifinal. It is said that the referee has acknowledged his mistake to Papastathopoulos after the game.

The game started with long shots from the Spanish team in the first ten minutes and the Greek team was also dangerous with Mitroglou and Ninis. Unfortunately Greece paid for the missed chances when Daniel Parejo scored a free-kick from a wide position on the 38 minute, after the best Spanish player, Aaron had won a foul from Siakas. Greece showed an impressive fight to come back with chances missed from Moniakis, Siovas, Mitroglou and Papadopoulos but the Spanish defence held during the second half. The Spanish team won the final but the Greek team deserved more with its display after the 1–0. Nikos Nioplias expressed his pride in the team after the game and the Spanish coach referred to a "great Greek side". Sotiris Ninis and Sokratis Papastathopoulos were included by UEFA in the "name-to-note" list after the end of the tournament. Kostas Mitroglou, with 3 goals in 5 games, shared the first scorer title with highly rated Ben-Hatira (Germany) and Monnet-Paquet (France).

2012 European Under-19 Championship in Estonia

Only three countries (Greece, Serbia and the defending champions, Spain) had been at the 2011 finals in Romania. The 2012 final tournament in Estonia served as a qualifying event for the forthcoming FIFA Under-20 World Cup, with Croatia, England, France, Greece, Portugal and Spain earning places at the final tournament to be played in Turkey from 21 June to 13 July 2013. The Spaniards started the tournament as the only country to have successfully defended the Under-19 title and, during the first half of their opening game against Greece, Julen Lopetegui’s side produced trademark patient, possession-based combination play with Gerard Deulofeu, in particular, creating danger with his skill on either flank. His run on the right provided Spain’s first goal but, after the second, they struggled with the higher pressing by the Greek team and needed resilience to hang on for a 2–1 win.

Against Greece, Estonia started well. But Greece took the lead through Giorgos Katidis and, improving in the second half, scored two magnificent goals. Karl-Eerik Luigend scored Estonia’s only goal of the tournament but Greece had the last word with a fourth goal. With Spain into the semi-finals and the hosts eliminated, the Portugal v Greece match in Rakvere took on must-win dimensions for the latter, whereas Edgar Borges’ team needed only a point. After a cautious start, the game burst into life in the 16th minute when Giannis Gianniotas cut in from the right and rounded off a fine individual effort with a left-footed finish. Within 60 seconds, André Gomes collected the ball outside the box, beat three defenders and levelled with a powerful shot. When Daniel Martins was shown a red card for violent conduct, Greece sensed their opportunity and, a few minutes later, captain Katidis scored the first of his two goals. Even when the Greeks were also reduced to ten in the second half, they continued to dominate, even though substitute Betinho set up a nail-biting finish by making it 3–2 with a late goal.

The first was marked by the dismissal of Greek keeper Stefanos Kapino during added time at the end of the first half, when his team were leading 1–0. But the first action by reserve keeper Sokratis Dioudis was to save the ensuing penalty. England took the upper hand after equalising in the 56th minute but failed to beat Dioudis and were beaten by a counterattack in the 18th minute of extra-time.

In the final, against Spain both sides displayed admirable speed in transitions both from defence into attack and vice versa. While Spain’s No17, Gerard Deulofeu, operating on the right wing after the break, was a constant menace with his incisive dribbling movements, the Greeks, meanwhile, threatened with inswinging corners and free kicks from Kostas Stafylidis and Giannis Gianniotas respectively. Ten minutes before the end of the game, Gerard Deulofeu went to the byline and forced a save from the Greek keeper, Sokratis Dioudis, with a dangerous cutback. One minute later, and the decisive moment of the match arrived. With great tenacity, Spanish full-back Jonny stole the ball from the Greeks just inside their own half. Within the blink of an eye, the ball was transferred to right-wing partner Gerard Deulofeu. The latter ran to the heart of the Greek defence and slid a perfectly weighted, subtle through pass to his fellow winger, Jesé who scored the only goal.

2023

Greece  v  Israel

28 February 2023 (2023-02-28) Friendly	Greece	0–1	Israel	Athens, Greece
15:00 EET		Report	Binyamin 7'	Stadium: Nea Smyrni Stadium

Estonia  v  Greece

22 March 2023 (2023-03-22) 2023 Euro U-19 Qualification Elite Round	Estonia	0–3	Greece	Waterford, Ireland
21:30 EET		Report	Tzimas 21', 27' (pen.) Nikolaou 90+6'	Stadium: Waterford Regional Sports Centre Referee: Ívar Orri Kristjánsson (Iceland)

Greece  v  Slovakia

25 March 2023 (2023-03-25) 2023 Euro U-19 Qualification Elite Round	Greece	1–1	Slovakia	Waterford, Ireland
21:30 EET	Koutsias 67'	Report	Gajdoš 50'	Stadium: Waterford Regional Sports Centre Referee: Ívar Orri Kristjánsson (Iceland)

Greece  v  Republic of Ireland

28 March 2023 (2023-03-28) 2023 Euro U-19 Qualification Elite Round	Greece	1–0	Republic of Ireland	Wexford, Ireland
21:30 EET	Smyrlis 48'	Report		Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park Referee: Sander van der Eijk (Netherlands)

Norway  v  Greece

4 July 2023 (2023-07-04) 2023 UEFA European U-19 Championship	Norway	5–4	Greece	Ta' Qali, Malta
19:00 EET	Roaldsøy 6' Ødegård 15', 44' Flataker 18' Skogvold 36'	Report	Tzimas 51', 81' Stavropoulos 80' Kalogeropoulos 90+5'	Stadium: Centenary Stadium Attendance: 586 Referee: Joonas Jaanovits (Estonia)

Greece  v  Spain

7 July 2023 (2023-07-07) 2023 UEFA European U-19 Championship	Greece	0–5	Spain	Xewkija, Malta
19:00 EET		Report	Barberà 11', 45+1' Ángel 14' Palacios 17' Casas 57'	Stadium: Gozo Stadium Attendance: 479 Referee: Yigal Frid (Israel}

Greece  v  Iceland

10 July 2023 (2023-07-10) 2023 UEFA European U-19 Championship	Greece	0–0	Iceland	Paola, Malta
22:00 EET		Report		Stadium: Tony Bezzina Stadium Attendance: 324 Referee: Sven Jablonski (Germany)

Greece  v  Bulgaria

11 October 2023 (2023-10-11) Friendly tournament	Greece	4–0	Bulgaria	Zagreb, Croatia
16:00 EET	Kosidis 19' Tzimas 20' Simantirakis 55' Filon 90'	Report		Stadium: Ivan Laljak-Ivić Stadium

Croatia  v  Greece

14 October 2023 (2023-10-14) Friendly tournament	Croatia	1–1	Greece	Zagreb, Croatia
13:30 EET	Vrbančić 87'	Report	Tzimas 30'	Stadium: Ivan Laljak-Ivić Stadium

Estonia  v  Greece

17 October 2023 (2023-10-17) Friendly tournament	Estonia	0–3	Greece	Zagreb, Croatia
16:00 EET		Report	Drosos 26' Katris 34' Kaloskamis 60'	Stadium: Ivan Laljak-Ivić Stadium

Belarus  v  Greece

15 November 2023 (2023-11-15) 2024 UEFA European U-19 Championship Qualifying Round	Belarus	1–0	Greece	Manavgat, Turkey
11:00	Mialkouski 36'	Report		Stadium: Arslan Zeki Demirci Sports Complex Referee: Joey Kooij (Netherlands)

Greece  v  Lithuania

18 November 2023 (2023-11-18) 2024 UEFA European U-19 Championship Qualifying Round	Greece	2–1	Lithuania	Manavgat, Turkey
11:00	Kontonikos 47' Tzimas 56'	Report	Jansonas 12' (pen.)	Stadium: Arslan Zeki Demirci Sports Complex Referee: David Šmajc (Slovenia

Greece  v  Turkey

21 November 2023 (2023-11-21) 2024 UEFA European U-19 Championship Qualifying Round	Greece	0–1	Turkey	Manavgat, Turkey
14:00		Report	Kılıçsoy 45+1'	Stadium: Arslan Zeki Demirci Sports Complex Referee: Simone Sozza (Italy)

2024

 Portugal v Greece 

20 March 2024 (2024-03-20) 2024 UEFA European U-19 Championship Elite Round	Portugal	v	Greece
		Report

 Denmark v Greece 

23 March 2024 (2024-03-23) 2024 UEFA European U-19 Championship Elite Round	Denmark	v	Greece
		Report

Greece  v  Serbia

26 March 2024 (2024-03-26) 2024 UEFA European U-19 Championship Elite Round	Greece	v	Serbia
		Report

2024 UEFA European U-19 Championship qualification

Group 4

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion
1	Portugal (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualified for the final tournament
2	Denmark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Serbia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Greece	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: 20 March 2024. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

Current squad

As of 22 November 2023

The following players were called up for the 2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying round to be played in Manavgat, Turkey, between 15 and 21 November 2023.^[1]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Spyros Angelidis	(2005-01-28) 28 January 2005	5	0	Werder Bremen II
12	1GK	Georgios Karakasidis	(2005-01-31) 31 January 2005	2	0	Panathinaikos B
2	2DF	Charalampos Georgiadis	(2005-03-26) 26 March 2005	16	0	Sampdoria U19
3	2DF	Taxiarchis Filon	(2005-03-16) 16 March 2005	9	1	PAOK U19
4	2DF	Christos Kosidis	(2005-02-28) 28 February 2005	5	1	AEK B
5	2DF	Dimitrios Laskaris	(2005-09-29) 29 September 2005	4	0	Asteras Tripolis
6	2DF	Dimitrios Kottas (captain)	(2005-01-14) 14 January 2005	15	0	PAOK B
14	2DF	Loukas Maroutsis	(2006-05-15) 15 May 2006	4	0	AEK U19
16	2DF	Sotiris Kontouris	(2005-02-24) 24 February 2005	5	0	Panetolikos
18	2DF	Nikos Deligiannis	(2005-03-22) 22 March 2005	10	0	PAOK U19
21	2DF	Ilias Simantirakis	(2005-12-22) 22 December 2005	5	1	OFI U19
10	3MF	Konstantinos Goumas	(2005-03-12) 12 March 2005	14	0	PAOK U19
15	3MF	Konstantinos Kastidis	(2005-02-09) 9 February 2005	5	0	PAOK U19
20	3MF	Christos Mouzakitis	(2006-12-25) 25 December 2006	3	0	Olympiacos B
7	4FW	Antonis Papakanellos	(2005-08-11) 11 August 2005	6	0	Olympiacos B
8	4FW	Vasilis Kontonikos	(2005-10-11) 11 October 2005	5	1	Lamia
9	4FW	Stefanos Tzimas	(2006-01-06) 6 January 2006	11	7	PAOK
11	4FW	Dimitris Kaloskamis	(2005-03-01) 1 March 2005	6	1	Panathinaikos B
17	4FW	Anastasios Kontorouchas	(2005-03-09) 9 March 2005	3	0	AEK B
19	4FW	Charalambos Kostoulas	(2007-05-30) 30 May 2007	3	0	Olympiacos B