[1] A total of 16 teams played in the tournament, with players born on or after 1 January 2001 eligible to participate.

[2] England proved under 21s squad confirmed were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Belgium in the quarter-finals.

All 55 UEFA nations entered the competition (including Kosovo who entered for the first time), and with the hosts England qualifying automatically, the other 54 teams competed in the qualifying competition to determine the remaining 15 spots in the final tournament.

The final draw was held on 5 April 2018, 17:30 BST (UTC+1), at the St George's Park in Burton, England.

In the knockout stage, penalty shoot-out is used to decide the winner if necessary (no extra time is played).