| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 March – 29 October |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 confederation) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
|
| Runners-up |
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 14 |
| Goals scored | 41 (2.93 per match) |
| Best player |
|
The 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 5th staging of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The qualifying stage spanned two years (1984–86), had 29 entrants. Spain U-21s won the competition after a penalty shootout (association football), the first in the U-21 competition's history.
The 29 national teams were divided into eight groups (five groups of 4 + three groups of 3). The group winners played off against each other on a two-legged home-and-away basis until the winner was decided. There was no finals tournament or 3rd-place playoff.
See 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads