Ireland Under-21 summer friendlies confirmed as Jim Crawford’s side return to old stomping ground

Ireland will head to Croatia for the second consecutive summer, as two June friendlies have been confirmed for Jim Crawford’s Under-21 side.

The young Boys in Green will take on Croatia’s Under-21s on June 6, four days before they face Qatar’s Under-23s in Zagreb.

It’s a last chance for Crawford to assess his options ahead of the start of the European Championship qualifiers in September.

Last summer, Ireland had a successful outing in Croatia, beating the hosts 3-2 and drawing 2-2 with an England Under-20 team.

Crawford said: “We look forward to taking on a very good team in Croatia. Like ourselves, they are second seeds for qualifying so we know it will be a very tough test especially in Croatia.

“Likewise, Qatar will be tough opponents, their style will reflect what we are likely to come up against in the qualifiers so it’s an important challenge for the players to overcome.”

Ireland kicked off 2025 with a 3-1 friendly win over Hungary in March, where Mason Melia became the youngest ever goalscorer at that age group and Brentford’s Conor McManus netted twice on his international debut.

Looking ahead to September’s qualifiers, Crawford emphasised the importance of expanding the number of players at his disposal.

Ireland face Moldova away on Thursday September 4 and Andorra at home on Tuesday September 9.

Crawford said: “It’s important we take a look at the player pool that is available to us. There will be players coming into the squad who weren’t available to us in November and March so we will be looking at bringing in players for their first Under-21s squad.

“Like with any international window, it’s an opportunity to impress and an opportunity to stake a claim to be involved come September and beyond. These are two important games going into the campaign ahead.”