As defending champions, they faced randomly drawn "challengers" for a single match in Bulgaria.

It was held three times in the same format; the eight group winners contested the quarter-finals on a home-and-away basis.

This has changed starting with the 2006 edition, when a separate draw was held for the first time to form the qualifying groups.

[1] The tournament's record attendance was set during the knockout stage of the 2023 edition, when 44,338 spectators gathered for the match between hosts Georgia and Israel.

[2] Up to and including the 1992 competition, all entrants were divided into eight qualification groups, the eight winners of which formed the quarter-finals lineup.

The remaining fixtures were played out on a two-legged, home and away basis to determine the eventual winner.

For the 1994 competition, one of the semi-finalists, France, was chosen as a host for the (single-legged) semi-finals, third-place playoff and final.

Staggering the tournaments allowed players more time to develop in the under-21 team rather than get promoted too early and end up becoming reserves for the seniors.

The 14 group winners were paired in double-leg play-off to decide the seven qualifiers alongside the hosts.

[3] On 6 February 2019, UEFA's Executive Committee increased the number of participants in the finals to sixteen teams, starting from the 2021 edition.

[5] The UEFA European Under-21 Championship Top Scorer award, formerly known as the Golden Boot, is handed to the player who scores the most goals during the tournament.