| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | West Germany |
| Dates | 25 May – 3 June |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  West Germany (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Poland |
| Third place |  France |
| Fourth place |  Spain |
The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1981 Final Tournament was held in West Germany.
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 |
 Netherlands
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 5 |
 Luxembourg
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 18 | –16 | 0 |
| Luxembourg
|
0–6 | Netherlands
| |
| Luxembourg
|
0–4 | Belgium
| |
| Netherlands
|
1–3 | Belgium
| |
| Belgium
|
3–1 | Luxembourg
| |
| Netherlands
|
5–1 | Luxembourg
| |
| Belgium
|
0–0 | Netherlands
|
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wales 
|
4–2 |  Republic of Ireland
|
2–2 | 2–0 |
Iceland 
|
1–4 |  Scotland
|
0–1 | 1–3 |
England 
|
4–0 |  Northern Ireland
|
1–0 | 3–0 |
Finland 
|
1–2 |  Sweden
|
1–1 | 0–1 |
| Poland
|
4–1 |  East Germany
|
2–0 | 2–1 |
Denmark 
|
3–2 |  Norway
|
0–1 | 3–1 |
Portugal 
|
0–3 | France
|
0–1 | 0–2 |
Malta 
|
1–8 |  Italy
|
1–5 | 0–3 |
| Spain
|
5–2 |  Switzerland
|
4–1 | 1–1 |
Hungary 
|
0–1 |  Romania
|
0–0 | 0–1 |
Austria 
|
4–2 |  Turkey
|
4–0 | 0–2 |
Soviet Union 
|
1–1 (3–4p) |  Czechoslovakia
|
1–0 | 0–1 |
Yugoslavia 
|
0–1 |  Bulgaria
|
0–0 | 0–1 |
Greece 
|
4–1 |  Cyprus
|
1–0 | 3–1 |
The following teams qualified for the tournament:
|
Main article: 1981 UEFA European Under-18 Championship squads |
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Germany
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 6 |
| Wales
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | –1 | 4 |
| Belgium
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | –2 | 2 |
| Greece
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | –4 | 0 |
| 25 May | West Germany
|
5–0 | Wales
|
| Belgium
|
2–0 | Greece
| |
| 27 May | West Germany
|
3–2 | Belgium
|
| Greece
|
0–1 | Wales
| |
| 29 May | West Germany
|
1–0 | Greece
|
| Belgium
|
0–3 | Wales
|
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 5 |
| Sweden
|
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Romania
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | –1 | 3 |
| Czechoslovakia
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | –3 | 1 |
| 25 May | Poland
|
1–1 | Sweden
|
| Romania
|
3–2 | Czechoslovakia
| |
| 27 May | Poland
|
3–1 | Romania
|
| Sweden
|
1–1 | Czechoslovakia
| |
| 29 May | Poland
|
3–1 | Czechoslovakia
|
| Sweden
|
1–1 | Romania
|
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 5 |
| Denmark
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Italy
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Bulgaria
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | –4 | 1 |
| 25 May | Italy
|
0–0 | France
|
| Bulgaria
|
2–2 | Denmark
| |
| 27 May | Italy
|
1–0 | Bulgaria
|
| France
|
2–1 | Denmark
| |
| 29 May | Italy
|
1–2 | Denmark
|
| France
|
3–0 | Bulgaria
|
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 5 |
| Scotland
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 |
| England
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 2 |
| Austria
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | –11 | 0 |
| 25 May | Austria
|
0–1 | Scotland
|
| Spain
|
2–1 | England
| |
| 27 May | Austria
|
0–3 | Spain
|
| Scotland
|
1–0 | England
| |
| 29 May | Austria
|
0–7 | England
|
| Scotland
|
1–1 | Spain
|
| West Germany | 1 – 1 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 4 – 3 | ||
| France | 1 – 1 | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 2 – 0 | ||
| West Germany | 1 – 0 | Poland |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 UEFA European Under-18 Championship |
|---|
 West Germany First title |