France under-21s defeated Switzerland 7-1 on 6 October 2026, with Mathys Tel scoring three goals to conclude an undefeated 10-match qualifying campaign under Gérald Baticle.
With his hat-trick in the 10th, first half, and 59th minutes, Mathys Tel reached 17 goals for the French under-21 team, matching Odsonne Edouard's all-time record.
Alex Frei's Swiss team finished third in the group on 17 points, missing out on the playoffs as Iceland secured second place with a 2-0 victory over the Faroe Islands.
The French under-21 national football team secured a 7-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, in their final qualifying match for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. France entered the contest in Orléans having already secured qualification for the tournament in Albania and Serbia. The home side took control within the opening quarter of an hour, scoring twice through attacks that met little resistance. Mathys Tel opened the scoring in the 10th minute with an unmarked finish. Four minutes later, Noé Lebreton doubled the advantage with a header. Tel added his second goal before the interval after Swiss goalkeeper Silas Huber slipped while attempting to intervene.
Switzerland attempted to respond early in the second half, but France quickly resumed scoring. Dehmaine Tabibou made it 4-0 in the 51st minute following a missed free kick by Switzerland's Alessio Besio. Swiss midfielder Liam Chipperfield scored his team's lone goal with a long-range shot in the 53rd minute. Mathys Tel responded in the 59th minute by completing his hat-trick, lifting his total tally for the France under-21 team to 17 goals. That mark matches Odsonne Edouard as the joint all-time top goalscorer for the French under-21 side. French substitute Steve Ngoura scored in the 64th minute, and Kevin Danois added the final goal in the 91st minute against Swiss goalkeeper Silas Huber.
The result left Switzerland in third place in the qualifying group with 17 points from 10 matches, finishing 9 points behind group winner France. Under head coach Gérald Baticle, France concluded the qualifying stage undefeated, recording eight wins and two draws across 10 fixtures. Switzerland needed a victory in Orléans or dropped points by Iceland to retain second place and secure a spot in the qualification playoffs. In the parallel group fixture, Iceland defeated the Faroe Islands 2-0 with two early goals inside the first 17 minutes. The outcome confirmed Iceland in second place with 18 points, earning them a berth in the two-legged playoff round scheduled for 9 and 17 November 2026.
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The defeat sealed Switzerland's elimination from the 2027 tournament, marking the second consecutive European Under-21 Championship final tournament the nation has missed. The Swiss squad, coached by Alex Frei, completed their 10-match campaign with five wins, two draws, and three defeats. The elimination followed earlier setbacks, including a 5-1 defeat against Iceland in Reykjavik a week earlier and a 2-1 loss to Luxembourg in November 2025. That loss to Luxembourg had led to the departure of former head coach Sascha Stauch before Frei took charge. Since reaching the final of the tournament in 2011, Switzerland has now failed to qualify for six of the past eight under-21 European championships.
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Mathys Tel scored a hat-trick in Orléans as France defeated Switzerland 7-1, ending the Swiss campaign for the 2027 Under-21 European Championship.
AI text based on reports by Ouest France, Tages Anzeiger, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and other publishers. Published .